The OFFICIAL Amstrad Magazine
ERUSER
AUSS3.95
recomnnended
riZS4.95
Battle lines Re-drawn
Drawing packages compared
Making Movies
Animation made easy
■J-. • T--.
A'-I
Plus: News, Reviews, Listings and More.
Game of the Month
'THE ADVENTURES OF BOND . . .
BASILDON BOND'^
Starring
RUSS ABBOT
Featuring
COOPERMAN, BLUNDERWOMAN, BOND
Under strict and confidentiaf orders from P, who
has been re-named B, to confuse the KCB,. Bond
has been assigned to rescue Russ who is being held
captive by a rival comedy act, in the dungeons of
the television studio.
Traps^ puzzles, [okes^ fight sequences and
famous characters are combined to produce a
funny and slightly hilarious arcade adventure.
Featuring Russ Abbots New Single
■LETS GO TO THE DISCO^'
Avaiiablo for the Commodore 64 £9*99caustto
and Amatrad 464/664/6128. £13*99d!Mi
Soon available for the Spectrum & Amstrad
The most amazing arcade adventure to be
released for the Amstrad Is NOW available
for the Spectrum.
Amstrad Action Review “ A.A. Rave
Graphics 94 % Sonics 75% Grab Factor 85%
Staying Power 89% A A Rating 87%
155 MITCHAM ROAD, LONDON SWI?. Tel: 0V672 9179
Selected titles available from ?i
W.H. Smith Laskys and all good software retailers
Amstrad £9.99 Cassette. £13.99 Disk
Spectrum 48K £8.99
. So.'.™: ...... ■
CONTENTS I
REGULARS |
5 News
9 Letters
14 Gallup Chart
The official Amstrad Top 20
90 Least Significant Bit
Full list of Amstrad happenings
17 Animator
Create your own cartoons
26 Coin'
Loco
Alex Martin gets tied
up with strings
29 Adventure column
Mindshowand Lord of the Rings
47 Software
Competition
The great £2,000 Amsoft
shareout
49 Windows
Dick Sargent presents the last
bit of code
^4 6-8-4-5 Who do
we appreciate?
One of the most powerful chips
in the Arnold can be used to
generate spectacular effects
80 Screen flipping
Secret RSXs in Bank Manager,
Making the most of the 664
& 6128 ROM
89 Awards
Who do you think are the best
the worst the greatest and the
cleverest?
78 Amstrad User
Special Delivery
Dodgy deals from ACU
REVIEWS I
33 Epson FX85
The FXBO wasthe No, 1 printer,
is this a worthy successor?
37 In the
picture
Mouse vs Grafpad
vs Rembrandt
43 Romboard Rivals
Honeysoft vs Britannia
61 Games reviews
More reviews than ever before
III
Editorial
The 8256 is a huge
success, but not
everything is perfect
V
Living with
Joyce
New features in Locoscript
XIII
Who are you?
William Poel examines the
results of the survey in
ABC No. 1
XIX
Getting inside
your PCW 8256
How to redefine the
character set
XXIX
Competition
Win the full set of Caxton
softwa re
.. ^!F--'.Ui.-- -
180 King's
Teiei
Eusx CrW14 4EF,
Tehcom Gold; 72rMAG0 f 2
simofl 8oaloTiant ,, 1 ,^
AdvflrtbBffHHit Manuger: Jane Nolan'
^ - “TL.- .
Tha OFFICIAL nuoaiiniB for utw* «f Anutrad comfwtart^
^ .:i«.
(fistfibvtfofi:Seits £ Df^ibuthnUd i f
fiotcL ^HW SAf. T^: .
« AntatfSd Cqmputar Uieri Afo pert of this
pttbficsiion m9y itw repfodacod without oormission.
WhHo SYOfy 9/fort ie msds io oosurt the accurscy of
eft ffffltiwws and tv# cannot accept anyliabtiftY
for any /niitBkas or mfsprints. Tha views andopinhos
attftfBSsad SiV not nacassarily those of Amstrad or
AmSpft but rapresant the views of our many readers,
owri'arSr immbars and contributors. Wa regret that
Amstrad Computer User cefinot enter into persortai
correspondence.
Amstrad User April 86
Page 3
THE STHONGE8T VERSIONS OF THE CLASSIC GAMES
from good retailerm or by mail order
NEW STUNNING TECHNICAL
INNOVATION!
Unique new pfogrsnn by Sup^rchess 3.5 I
Author Chris Whjtting.lon. Bfings you all
the plsying power of our original Amsirad
Superchess plus SPEECH and brillianl
3^D graphics. Specially developiecJ
program available only on Amstrad that
brings you all the strengths o^ Superchess
enhanced by ihe latesi developments of
sciund and vision. Saves to Disc,
Beginners to expeq Igs'els and classic
helpnui features;
* Analyse mode
* Problem Solving
* Large opening library
* Help Menu
if Change colours
* Recommended move
of SridRe a^inst the coimpuler with CKCCfitionaNy
strong Bidding and play of cartis. The Computer
can play as DEFENDER of DECIARER, generdtes
randfwn hands, and allows proper biddiriR in the
aCOL system itKluding the Staymani and
B lackwfKXI conventionh. Then it takes you on,
ptayinia both your Opponents' hands.
Ideal as a titter tor beginners, and wil] give
highly skilled pla^'ers an E^gnoiiNinR Rame.
* Option to the deeF 1o give ^nd your
‘■'partwr'' more hi^ carrf poinfi it'you ptefer
to play as dectaaT
* At any rirttf Claim THE RE&T OF THE TftiCKS
* ftESTAgt the play of ttw cards
A fttALLr 5T110NG OPPONENT
FOR A REAUY GOOD GAMf OF BRIDGE
FEATURES — = ^
* Vefsalilf! bedding mutirws givas yiju .1 worthy
opponent
* lmprT>vc TOur ftanrc-l^sl-niortern facility
allows rebidcJing arifl [e|:)|ayiinft. of any hand
sr Vou can raviaw bidding or play to preyicMS
tricks wbilp claying, a hand
A Input 3 hand orcontfacts oF your choice- to
test yourseH
* ConKprrhensive ON 5 C;REEN
PNEOfi.MATlON displays-co*v|rad, tricks
won -se Far, caiids played m current and bsi
trick, score
ANYAMSTRAD
Cassette £12.95
Disc—....£15.95
ANYAMSTRAD
Cassette £12.95
Disc.£15.95
Easy to learn but plenty to challenge you
Id this high-speed version of the great dice
classic. Superb graphics and a very
inCetligent playing strategy which gives
you a'run for yoiif money. Complete with
rules and tactical hints.
Never underestimate the brains needed lo
master (he classic ganrire of ordinary men
throughout Ihe world. This dynamite
program by Chris Whittington takes you
frorrT beginners level to what Sjnclair Usef
c ailed ^the Karpov of the Dtaughls
world^. Complete with strategic hints,
kings and several levels to challenge you.
ANY AMSTRAD £8.95
ANY AMSTRAD £8.95
STOP PRESS . . . STOP PRESS
NEW
RELEASES
PCW 8256
Superb, colourful'fast-action graphics and
sound give this game (he feel of a real
arcade pin-table. Realistic launch, flippers,
bumpers,, highnscore, bonus scores and
freeball features. Be a WizardE
3-D CLOCK CHESS - £1935
Written in consultation with International Grandmaster
jon Speeiman (British Chess Champion 1978 and 1985).
Many features plus special Against the clock mode' and
brilliant 3-D Graphics. .a
B25G BRIDGE PLAYER - £1935
Sophisticated and realistic Solo Bridge with
powerful Bidding and Play and numerous
. . I t/wr j Jew minutes wmjfd sdj/Jjct?,
arref then found ihst a coupfo of howry hs'd
pjsiffo aiTKf I wjs Hi ft. lExce/font, , . Pfoba/J
Vyfji3rri:.^ ff jtfJifo'"
CRASH MACAZINE
■'A brfJTjam That's aEJSofbfoff am/ So
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bsiS moyenient is very reafefJc."
PER^NAL COMPUTER GAMES
AVAILABLE nOW ON DISC FOR PCW
n'iMTIKyEI''
For AWSTflAD
ANY AMSTRAD £8.95
SPECTRUM •SINCLAIR QL*COMMODOKE 64*
AND NOW for ANY AMSTRAD
STd voice CtiESS
bridge PLAYi
son
''MSTSAOBRfoctJ.UVfg
RAVGHTS/
amstrao
, SPtCTRVJM
^O R AMs>
MAIL ORDER S
imply slat'f whn h prtigninn'' and ‘send
1 ht^que, fJtj'ital orrfcn or Ac t t^vdVivd numt)er iwith expiry tfale).
Tt'Jephtjne tor insl.int (Tftlit-r .irti r}r{llerx. SeiitJ S.AE lor t4tak»gue
tor caMilogLje rind rtMiurn fMiTage lor SLilimitted progrdnH.
DELIVERY bv sooueM fUtsi. Pi>H irt?e iM UK Luntpi.' atltl 80p [W'* Ijrtigrarri.
All itthpr pHt i;s .siki 11 f.ic'r prtigrjm tf ji Min'.jce m,sil <w for Ajrnviil atid £ 2 for
tifsl pr<?gr<]m ai^d il tor each additif»rtal.
WANTED! SlrtiriK and tirigiridl pfogrtirTi‘» ol dr> ifiiellrgent riaiure ii>r dtiy ot
IIh' almve i riitipn.»terK Tcj^n royalfie'' ixiiti l>v ^l^i^ rrliahk' c c,nirif.p.,tri-y,
Dept AMU 10,
15 Despard Road, London N19 5NP
Tel: 01-272 2918 Telex: 57784 MCCL C
NEWS
User News...
City surprised
Amstrad surprised one of the most
conservative org^anisationa in the world,
the City of London, with its figurea for
the first half yearns trading. Amstrad
I Cencluatons |
4 nvach [ai!«'V>tf uid 'luul, dadlnn^, wc^Llu /
1 itJ th*t ACC ■■ill l)t 4 *Ti(rtLn|« complsdt mriiq [4
! 'Liviuf ^thJisva'ThAr4w»n'tlHl40tuAy«vailab1»lfnlh« '
] UKcl^jrUriiaddiiljfllinM^h.Oiiiia'i'ilailjliEbi^BLreell.M
1 }]ilmc( 7 niiTDnlarDiir.
\ THtfre'S no- d<H 4 Hrt tin wiiH» 1 J» IwttMt w 3 l«r in ?
> (tif ituurVeL Id 19(i6. ReiiwHlHT bh^ Anuttvd eiiana 41:^ I
1 KlBnmndSSpBLibetiniEErrthBlBiBiiili.dTBckthcinDuliii 13 }
I mnnbiu tuTiR. j
Flashback to last Octobor*a ACU
made £27.5 million compared with less
than £10 million in the same period last
year.
Most of the profit was due to the
success of the computer division and
the Joyce (PCW 8256) in particular.
Joyce's impact is even more remarkable
when you consider that it had been on
sale for only two and a half months.
The City had predicted an annual
profit of £35 million, now hurriedly
uprated to £45 million. The affect of the
figures on share prices has been
dramatic. At the beginning of the year
the shares were trading at around
£1.80, a week after the results they
approached £3.50, Amsfmd User
predicted a price rise in the October
issue, when the shares stood at 82p. The
Editor just wishes he had taken the
author's advice.
Firebird unleashes
the Empire
British Arnold owners can thank the
international nature of the Amstrad
market for adding to the range of
top-notch games available for their
computer.
Empire is the newest game on the
Firebird Gold label. It waa initially
planned as a Spectrum and Com¬
modore 64 title, to be converted to thfs
Amstrad if it sold well enough. However
a large order from Germany has
pursuaded Firebird to reconsider and
an Amstrad version of Empire should
be available at any moment.
Empire is a ghoot-em-up in space.
You pilot a ship from solar system to
solar system, landing on planets to
mine them and visiting starbases to
trade or be assigned a mission.
The space sequences are in 2D while
the planet scene uses 3D. All the ship’s
contro'ls are designed to look like
something out of Flash Gordon, The
view is through a porthole and most of
the gauges use liquid levels. The price
has not yet been decided.
PCW 8512 fact
or fiction?
Humours abound that Amstrad are to
launch an expanded version of the
PCW 8256, Although Amstrad have
confirmed the existence of such a
machine they refuse to be drawn on the
details, price and specification.
It is certainly possible to upgrade an
8256 to 512k, although this will
invalidate the guarantee. With so much
RAM it could be expected that the
PCW 8512 would have a second disc
drive, although this is just speculation.
Amstrad are very coy about discuss¬
ing new releases, but have confirmed
that the PCW 8256 will not be
discontinued.
CPC 6128 dedicated game
Software houses have been understan¬
dably reluctant to write games w^hich
take advantage of the second bank of
RAM in a 6128, as games which use this
memory cannot be run on a 464 or 664.
Alligata have broken with this line and
produced a disc-only game for the 6128
but with a cut dowm tape version for 464
owners.
Meltdown uses 170k on disc and all of
the 6128’s memory. The layout is
Knightloresque 3D and the extra RAM
is used to store speech, which does not
require any extra hardware.
The game involves a lot of puzzle
solving. To move from tme 64 room level
to the next you need to wi
mini-game. The program costs
for the CPC 464/664 tape and
the full-blown 6128 version.
Amstrad User April 86
Pages
13" MICRODISKS
10 Amsof t 3'XP2
Microdisks
Suitable for all Amstrad
DisK Drives
1 MEGABYTE
DISKS
Officially Appointed Distributor
fbr AM50FT 5XFZ nicrodisKs
10 Amsof t
3"CP2-DD
1 MEGABYTE
Microdisks
Suitable for your PCW 8256
Second Drive
Only
Officially Appointed Distributor
Pof AMSOFT MicrodisRs
FBe6.^4HR Denver
Please Send Cheques/POs to:
rDeptAlJl 11 Oundle Drive nottinqhann MQS IBh
NEWS
Great games from
Activision
If you have seen Master of the Lamps^
you will probably iind it hard to believe
that Activision have anything amazing
up their sleeves ► How wrong you are.
There are two great games in the
pipeline.
Rescue on Fractalus is an established
classic on the Atari 800 and Com¬
modore 64. It will be available for the
CPC computers very soon. You fly a
small spaceship over the mountainous
surface of a planet^ looking for and
rescuing the pilots of crashed space¬
craft. Aliens are out to prevent this and
will shoot at you firom their UFOs and
gun emplacements*
Eidolon is a second Activision newie,
similar in feeling to Fractaiusi but this
time you fly through a complex of
caves, battling against a host of aliens.
Activision’s plans go furtheTj they
have signed up the rights to six
blockbuster films for the next year. The
titles are a closely guarded secret but
we believe that they will include
Ghostbusters H and Alien 11.
A bit on the side
The PCW 82S6 is principally designed
for word processing, but as a computer
it offers a host of attractive features,
one drawback for the businessman is
the width of the printer, it is too narrow
to take A4 paper on ita aide, or
landscape as photographers call it.
A solution is to save the text in a flie
and then use a special program to print
the document as a graphics dump, with
all the characters rotated through 90
degrees.
Such a program is available from
Trinity Business Systems, it costs
£19*95, and offers a variety of fonts.
Trinity can be contacted on (0603)
812195.
Nick AtcxandeFf MD of Virgin
Gamest making a clean sweep^
Virgin Games on
the ball
Virgin Games, voted Software House of
the Year in the Amstrad User readers
poll, have announced their latest
release. F.A. Football is based on years
of research by Tony Williams. There
are some novel features - including an
eight player option, but initial reaction
to the game from ACU reviewers is that
it is another boring football simulation.
Virgin have some much more excit¬
ing stuff in the pipeline, The first is
Shogun, a Japanese combat game.
Virgin also have a project based on the
Eagle comic hero Dan Dare.
Got any
Elite bugs?
Two hours into Elite, just about to zap
your seventy second Thargoid and what
happens?
Nothing* There is a bug in early
versions of Elite which causes it to lock
up.
Firebird are very sorry about this and
will replace any bugged copies free of
charge. They will also give you a
discount voucher for future Firebird
products.
Have we got a
video?
Orpheus have moved Rick, Mike,
Vyvian and Neil on to the CPC 464,
These early screen shots show how the
game will look. The aim of the game is
to control your character and get out of
the house.
Am s trad User April 86
Page?
Vive TAmstrad!
In the UK Amstiad ig the No 3
computer, although it is rapidly rising
to challenge those at the top of the
ladder. It’s a different story in France,
which has a funny television system,
reducing the impact of Commcxlore and
Sinclair computers which needed to be
heavily modified to work on the French
Secam system. The native computer is
a Thompson, but even that is No 2 to
Amstrad.
The first Amstrad computer show
was recently held in Paris, under the
auspices of Amstrad magazine. As with
the London shows, Amstrad Expo was
an overwhelming success-1,000 people
were locked out on the first day>
The show may not have been as bigas
the London ones but there w^as just as
much enthusiasm. The Joyce is a much
more expensive machine in France
(around £600) and was not nearly as
popular as the Arnolds, This is
surprising because 1^8256 has an azerty
keyboard as beloved by French typists.
We had expected to see a lot of
translated English software and some
pretty ropey French software (the Ed’s
xenophobic attitude). What we had not
expected was some red hot home grown
stuff. The best game we came across
was Le Seme Axe, which Is reviewed in
this issue. Other games of note were
Crafton and Xunk, which is shortly to
go on sale here from PSS and Warrior, a
disc-based dungeons and dragons.
Music was very popular. There was a
large display of Midi synths and a
couple of Music System type compos¬
ing packages. Pinball machines are
much more popular in France than in
the UK, Macadam Bumper has already
crossed the Channel, while the Cobra
pinball game has stayed put. Cobra
demonstrated their game to good effect
by building an Arnold into a pin table.
Despite the heavy (French) accent on
games there were some more serious
applications, A 464 on the Amstrad
stand was running Minitel - the French
Cross between a telephone directory and
PresteL
The best bargain at the show was
DBase II, an advanced database
language which sells for £390 here but
the price for the French version was a
mere £70 for exactly the same thing
save the translated prompts.
The show was spread over three days.
It was good to meet so many
enthusiastic Amstrad owners in a place
where Amstrad is the No 1 computer
manufacturer.
DaVE and RAM
by
WrtasFHEee? i’ll qlve.
HiH ATMOSPuECie
AUik;HT. "
o
Pages
Amstrad User April SG
Please bear in mind that the
expressed herein are not necessarily
those, of Amstrad or Amsoft Be assured
that ail your vietes are gwen thorough
consideration. This letters section is the
Amstrad Computer User’s own forum,
A town called Amstrad
This letter is being sent to you from the
far flung colony of Australia. I am
formerly from Aldershot in Hampshire.
In 1966 I emigrated to the colony of
Australia to help bring Christianity to
the black heathens, at which 1 failed
miserably^ most of them are still running
around nakedf brandishing their
Woomera's (no ribald puns please) and
swilling down large quantities of plonk
from what they term their ^plagons^j
which is a twisted form of flagon-
Having been exiled in this god
forbidden country of deserts, swamps
and dingos for the last 18 years, I have
obtained a little solace from purchasing
an Amstrad 464 and disc drive, which 1
got from a passing trader on the camel
route from Alice Springs, It cost me two
fine horses, ten sheep and a signed photo
of Boy George. I believe I won out in our
bartering as I forged Boy Georges
signature to the photo. (Besides it wasnH
Boy George, it was Andre the Giant in
drag).
Anyhow after several months.
Write to reply
Amstrad User magazines started to
appear at the outpost store, I quite
naturally snaffled these up, so that 1
could read about how they are being used
in civilisation. In fact 1 went so far as to
order it on a regular basis, and even
received one m this manner.
All of a sudden, after many months of
anxious waiting, I was informed by the
store keeper that Gordon And Gotch the
suppliers from the big settlement in
Melbourne, could no longer supply it, not
even the back issues that I requested six
months previous. Now my life is barren
again. I am waiting to find out if
Australia’s equivalent of Prestel, over
here it"s Viatel, will be brought out on the
Amstrad- The dreaded Commodore has
it, but not the Ham Spread (affectionate
term for Amstrad).
I could even have joined the Amstrad
Club here in Australia, being run by
AW A, only I lost the card I was supposed
to send in (I secretly believe the house
boy ate it). Is it possible for you to send
me a regular subscription of Amstrad
user mag. Is it possible to get all the back
issues- is Amstrad going to make it
possible to plug into ViateL How much?
(moolah ia this going to set me back).
W’ell I must go now as the natives are
having a Corroboree, which they say is
going to bring the young men of the tribe
to manhood, they remove something
from them, and Tm their star guest.
Dennis O’Neill,
Nollamara 6061 j
Western Australia.
ACU: Well that has just alienated half
our Australian readers. Retail supplies of
ACUshotild improve down under (Note
the AlJS $ price), since A WA have Just
doubled their order. Subscription is
faster and more reliable - see the special
delioety at the back of the magazine. Wc
reviewed a collection of serial interfaces
last monthf if Viatel is the same as
Prestel then they should work.
DR - 0 User - 0
(No score draw)
I should be interested to hear from any
other PC W^ 8256 user who has tried to run
DR Draw on the machine. Lured by the
compelling advertisement from Digital
Research which claimed that the pro¬
gram was “ready to run now on your
CP/M bundled PCW 8256" I sent off a
cheque and looked forward to the prompt
arrival of a program that 1 could start to
use straight away.
I was soon disillusioned. Not only did it
take over six weeks for the package to
arrive, after ceaseless prodding of elusive
people in Basildon and Hungerford, but
it also proved impossible for a person of
my limited experience to load it. Like
many PCW 8256 users I am a newcomer
to the world of computers and the
language of Basic. The instructions for
preparing an operating disc which came
with the package were beyond my
limited comprehension.
When 1 buy a program, particularly at
these artificially elevated prices 1 expect
to be able to use it, and I expect the words
used in the advertisement to mean what
they say.
Am I alone in this respect? It seems to
me that Digital Research have got a lot of
explaining to do if they w^ant to keep the
PCW 8256 market.
W.G. Crampton,
ACU: DR have been known fo do some
funny things, but think how the poor
(rich?) people who paid £200 feei
Perpetual Music
I must congratulate Fred Gray on his
fantastic music from Ocean’s "‘The
Neverending Story". I could sit and
listen to it all day. I think it is a very good
adventure with great graphics and very
well presented.
I would recommend anyone to buy it.
Richard Devlin.
ACt/: You forgot to say that you are rtot
the programmers' cousin and haven't got
shares in Ocean.
Friend of Joyce
For years I worked as a consultant in WT
for Wang, IBM and ICL. I left two years
ago to have a baby and began writing
novels a few months ago. I was destined
for the typewriter and horrors I bought
one and it did not get on with me at all-
W^hat was this silly thing that required
carriage returns so as not to shoot off the
end of the paper?
My husband recently purchased an
Amstrad WP and I had my doubts, 1 can
tell you because of the price. But minus
one or two bits which time will improve,
it is perfect. Particularly the manuscript
layout, it more than meets my require¬
ments and is obviously the work of a
genius.
The Amstrad, of course, is the result of
a bit of thought and careful analysis of
what the public really want or need. Not
something computer people are very
good at generally. I bet there is a lot of
jealousy, I have heard some of it myself.
All you competitors will have to go back
to the drawing board won’t they?
Anyway, I am in love with the thing
and 1 want to give it a name which juat
Amstrad User April 86
Pages
TASWORD€i28
THE WORD PROCESSOR
TASWORD6l2$forthe
Amstrad CPC 6128 disc £24.95
Brilliant value for money.
AMSTRAD ACTION
December 19S5,
A powerful and easy to use word
processor and a superb data merge
program. AMTIX December 1985,
TASWORD 6128 is the ward
processor especially developed to
utilise the extra memory in the CPC
6128.
The program uses ALL the additional
64Kofmemotyin the CPC6128as
text space. This means that text files
can be around ten thousand words
long.
TASWORD 6128 includes a built-in
data merge program. Mail merge, in
which a letter is printed any number
of times, each individually addressed
to a different person, is just one of
the applications of this powedui
facility.
The notepads are a unique feature of
TASWORD 6128. Four separate
no tepa ds are a vailable. Typing
reminders a nd storing letter
headings are just two possible
applications for the notepads.
Up to one thousand characters can
be stored in ten user definable keys
allowing commonly used words,
sentences, or even paragraphs to be
typed with a single keypress.
TASWORD 6128 has
comprehensive customisation
features. These allow many of the
program facilities to be changed to
personal requirements. A
customised program can be saved
and includes the notepads and user
definable keys.
TASWORD 6128 is fully compatible
with TAS-SPELL and TASPRINT. It
wilt also read in data from Masterfile
6128. It can even be used to enter
and edit your own Basic programs.
With at! standard and many extra
word processing facHities
TASWORD 6128 is the most
powerful of the TASWORD5.
TASyifORD4e4
THE WORD PROCESSOR
TASWORD 464 cassette £^9.9S
“There is no better justification for
buying a 464 than this program “
POPULAR COyV1PDr/A/G WEEKLY,
NOVEMBER 1984
Your464 becomesa professional
standard word processor with
TASWORD 464. Supplied complete
With a comprehensive manual and a
cassette which contains both the
program and TASWORD 464
TUTOR. This teaches you word
processing using TASWORD 464.
Whether you ha ve serious
applications or simply want to team
about word processing, TASWORD
464and the TUTOR make it easy
and enjoyable.
TASWORD464-D disca^^S
This is the new TASWORD especially
developed to utilise the capahiiities
of the CPC464 and664 alsc dnves.
The additional fadiities include a
larger text file size and automatic
on-screen disc directories during
save and load operations. A major
newfeatureis themailmerge facility.
This gives multipie prints of your
standard letters, forms, etc., with
each copy containing, ifor example, a
name and address automatically
taken from a disc file containing the
data. This data can be entered using
TASWORD 464-D, or created using
the Masterfile Program Extension
package. A powerful and useful
condirional printing facility is
included-parts ofa document can
be printed according to user-
specified criteria. TASWORD 464-D
will only run on, and is only supplied
on, disc.
A variable from good
Springfield House, Hyde Terrace,
TASPmNT404
THE STYLE WRITER
TASPRiNT464 cassette
_ disc£f2,90 _
A must for dot-matfix print owners!
Print your program output and
listings in a choice of five Impressive
print styles. TASPRINT464 utilises
the graphics capabilities of dot¬
matrix printers to form, with a double
pass of the printhead, output in a
range of five fonts varying from the
futuristic DA TA-RUN to the hand¬
writing style of PALACE SCRIPT
TASPRINT464 drives the dot-matrix
printers listed befowand can be used
to print AMSWORD/TASWORD
464 text fifes. TASPRINT464gives
your output originality and style.
Completely compatible with the 664
and 6128.
COnP^TA - hftld tnd Hcivyr 9««if f^r taphisis
^ fi fJTl^RJSTJC 3CRJPT
LECTURfi L]iM - clean and ple^^inq t*
mm “ 4 LuSIhtSS'" t ike script
PlDjtS otltJPj ' .a dlall'njctJjje
tnatd^ffemnt mates of printer prodoc^ sized output.
Tas-spell
THE SPELLING CHECKER
TAS-SPELL disc£^e,S&
foriheAmstrad CPC464 and 664
running TASWOHD 464-D and for
the CPC 6128 running
TASWORDS128 _
Spelling mistakes and typing errors
spoil any document wnetherltisa
private fetter or your latest novel
With T/^-SPELLyou are free to be
creative in the confident knowledge
that your spelling won't let you
down.
TAS-SPELL checks the spelling of
TASWOR0464-D and TASWORD
6128 text files. TAS-SPELL has a
dictionary of well over twenty
thousand words which it compares
with the words in your text. If a word
is notrecogniseo then the relevant
partofyourtextis displayed with the
suspect word highlighted. You can
correct the word, ignore it (Itmight
be a name), or even add it to the
TAS-SPELL dictionary.
Please note that TAS-SPELL will only
work with TASWORD 464-D and
TASWORD 6128.
TASCOPY464 cassette £9M
disc£f2M _
A suite of fast machine code screen
copy software for the CPC464, 664
ana 6128. Pnn t high-resolution
screen copies in black and white and
also large 'shaded'copies with
differentdotdensities forthe vahous
screen colours. TASCOPY464 also
produces poster size' screen copies
printed onto two or four sheets
which can be cut and joined to make
the poster. ___
TASPRiNT464 and TASCOPY 464
drive the following dot-matrix
printers:
AWMSAWih' itmmCfi-SS
fflSOwnr-® suDjmm
fflsmsT-sp mjjmmfxs? AMsmdDMf20oo
^imoiMXSOTYPEIf} NSCKSe^JS-fl
Tasword
Upgrades
TASWORD 464 andAmsword
owners: send your origlnat cassette
or disc (not the packaging) as proof
of purchase ana £13.90. Your
original will be returned together
with TASWORD464-D or
TASWORD 6128 on disc.
stockists and direct from:
A/AREE
eeds LS2 9LN. Tel: (0532) 438301
tfymi do (tot to cot this msg^Jiine. simpiy write outyour order arrdpost to.
TASMAN SOFTWARE, DEPTAU, SPRfNCffBLD HOUSE.. HYDE TERRACE. LEEDS iS29LN
i f ict GASMAN $0FTWAfi£ Ltd0^if)jfgeff)yACC£^S.J'VriAfiumbcf'_ _-. . .
I iTEM OEL£T£ WCf |
1 NAM£ _ _ disE/cassette £ _j
j ADDRESS __ _ disE/casstHe £ _ I
I _ _ disc/cassette £ _ i
I --- - - dfsc/casiette £ _ _j
I _ Outside Turape^ddiiSO^frmaitperitem. £ _ j
I Te{ephi>tKAc<esi/Vh4<>riiien!Lee{H{0532)438301 TOTAL £ _ |
j Fiesse !(?nd me FREE TAiMAN bfOChaft descflbiftgyn^fpfcdviti for theMfStr^ CRC 464.664 3nd672a. H tick hefe. I
j AHpriceimdudeVAT.postitgsafKfpscksgf^g AU j
lEWWf iQCiLW IfifiCJlrijM mTuam itAmwi ^A Auratn .StwSsuH W'itiiW POSff »5. OirndwrA
Ail TASMA N464software fully compitibie with f he 664 sndS 7 28.
LETTERS
i
(™"(SSjScSSHSs;s;sx.-s8ss;fs-;5J03
i :•: -: m k •: ™ ■:■:-:; m-■»;:-: ■: W/:-: ■:w:-: zi^zA :-: ^
'Uaii^aBiiiaiaiMma^fnriivmv.-v
#^^s .:.■ -E,
=5xm;-=-.. :■ 0....0
TSWWWW
; ‘O'
■ ■ ■ ■ r-.’ ' --
... -VJo,>
goes to show what a darling it is. (Joyce?
- Ed).
Thanks a lot for saving me from
terminal boredom at my typewriter.
Diana Lunt,
Longer life ribbons
Until I read Mr Gerrard's article I had no
way of knowing that you could get 360k
on a PCW 8256 disc, Amstrad keep it
quiet, so thank you very much. He makes
as a reference, tongue-in-cheek, to saving
on ribbons but surely since the wear
appears only to be along one line this is
poor design - or is it done deliberately
because typewriters have always worked
this wasteful way?
Of course one can use a ribbon ad
nauseam in conjunction with Wiggins
Teapes self-contained carbon flimsies for
single sheet pulls, but that^s not the point
at issue. Still, an article on printing
would be welcome.
Eric Ambrose.
ACU: The prmfer ribbons are designed
with a twht at the end, so that the whole
width of the ribbon is used. Another'
solution thtxt cart rejuuemifc ribbons is to
apply WD-40 silicon fluid to the ribbon
surface and leave to soak for a few hours.
You are aduised to keep the printer head
free of excess fluid.
Amstrad Sardine Show
Well somebody has got to say it! We were
told “This year weSe got it right - bigger
venue etc'" but the organisers' crystal
ball was not properly programmed again.
Something must be done to eliminate
problems like nowhere near enough
space, the stands were too small and
close together and the room was stiflingly
hot.
One exhibitor should be eliminated,
they were selling the DMP 2000 at a
special price of £169.95 (racist bit
deleted here - Ed) so Pm still waiting
patiently but happily for my printer from
another supplier.
Despite all this, the show was very
worthwhile and the Novotel’a facilities
were excellent, but for heavens sake
Amstrad, get it right next time.
Ah well - third time lucky,
AC Vi The Amstrad computer shows are
nothing to do with Amsfrad, they are
officially endorsed but the involvement
stops there. Predicting the success of a
show is always difficult^ The second show
was uco' much bigger than the first, if
you were too hot there was plenty of room
dowttstain where you could sit and ra^ajc.
Stand space is expensive, an hotel has
to cope with hefty overheads, if the
stands were made much bigger then
FTiany of the smaller companies could not
afford to exhibit. It would be illegal for
Amstrad, or anyone else, to fix the sale
price of the DMP2(XX). The company you
named sold all their printers on the first
morning, leaving many potential cu.s-
tomers without a printer. PerhapLS the
price was too low. That is the way the
laws of supply and demand work.
Socket to 'em
I own a PCW 8256 and a screwdriver, now
that may not sound very exciting, but by
combining the two I found something
that is pretty exciting - sockets. Inside
my PCW is a whole row of empty sockets
- which I as.sume can be used to upgrade
the RAM. Will Amstrad be offering an
upgrade service?
ACU: There are rumours that Dic¬
taphone will offer a suitable upgrade,
although ACU can^t be sure. The
ubiquitous NewStar company will offer
an upgrade ,soon but for the moment the
only way to expand your Joyce is through
P^tsm Electronrci’ who can be reached on
0D445 9796. Remember that opening up
any Amstrad computer will invalidate
the guarantee.
ACU
Arrrgghhh
I have a definition of computer
torture: I have been banned from my
Amstrad for a whole week because I
wouldn’t let my sister go on itl And
what's more Tve just got a new game.
(Aah!). (J.J. Trice, Molescroft, N.
Humberside.)
The strange case of
the missing case
When 1 used tape based machines it
always annoyed me that the software
suppliers would often not supply the
proper case for the cassette but rather
a variety of oversize cases or no cases
at alL This meant that 1 had to buy
spare case!) so that the software would
fit into my storage cases.
Now that 1 only use discs I find that
the same problem occurs. Of five
recent disc based software purchases
only one company (Hisoft) supplied
the proper case. The other companies
supplied me with plastic bags! Is
there a black market in Sin disc cases,
are they so valuable that leaving them
out substantially reduces the cost of
software or is there a law against
'pushing* them to the users? What is
the point of buying neat storage boxes
if suppliers will not adhere to the
proper storage standards?
Do you know where I can buy spare
cases and also the sticky labels? (D.R,
Halliweil, Oxton, Merseyside.)
Where can I get? ..,
I would very much like to obtain the
Head-Line Communications tapes on
IvOCoScript referred to in an article in
the ABC Review section In the March
issue of the User Magazine.
Please could .you give me the
address to write to and if possible, the
price of the tapes. (Mrs G. Carey,
Bulford, W^ilts,)
ACU: The Headline tapes can be
obtained from all good software
shops and from Newstar Software,
price £9.^5 r
Cartoon Fun?
Drivel!! I refer of course to your
pathetic attempts to reply to CASH’s
criticisms of the Dave and Pam
cartoon*
You base your defence around the
claim that cartoons derive their
humour from atereotypes. If this is ao
(let me point out that i think it ain't),
why don’t you go the whole hog and
portray Pam as black and get her to
talk with a comic accent. Now dat am
funny, I don’t think!
Let’s face it; the Dave and Pam
cartoons are only slightly more
humorous than a weekend watching
paint dry. So, unless you can find
some jokes for them which rely on
something more than mocking
Btereotypes for their laughs, why don't
you just forget it?
As a forum for reviews of software
and hardware and articles on how to
get more out of the Amstrad Mach¬
ines, ACU is doing a good job. As a
comic it i5u*t.
In other words: Cobblers! Stick to
your last! [Terry Booth, Kings
Norton, Birmingham.)
ACU: At least our jokes ^re new.
Page 12
Amstrad User April 86
AMSTRAD PROFESSIONALS i
FROM DIGITAL RES^RCH |
/ ^^ATUFi^,
T^Z
First, two powerful
software developmeiit
languages at just
£49195
Anrstrad Professionals
from Digital Research will progressively
expand the capabilities of your Amstrad by
providing you with an armoury of
professional languages, tools, utilities and
graphics packages of unrivalled power and
value for money in the small computer field.
{See also DR GRAPH and DR DRAW overleaf,
both released simultaneously with the above
Amstrad Professionals titles.)
Full support available from BELL TECHNICAL SERVICES LTD
Both as complete packages
of standard Amstrad 3" disks.
Both configured to load
and run now on your
CP/M bundled Amstrad
PCW8256 or CPC 6128,
Both offering you the
applications portability
and development
power of professional
CP/M programming
languages from the
creators of CP/M,
Digital Research.Both at an extraordinary
price, fully in keeping with Amstracfs own
value for money philosophy. Both available
for the first time directly to Amstrad users.
Start building your Amstrad armoury
now with Amstrad Professionals from
Digital Research.
Send your order and cheque or credit card number to;
DIGITAL RESEARCH (UK) LTD
UnEtl2, Fenton Way
Southfields, Basildon
Essex SSt5 6SL
Or contact your local
Amstrad dealer.
DIGITAL
RESEARCH
The creators of CR'M "
fy
FMf IJIW >( M«4d tn m- mmi H u bf
i^V|i77V^^C''v
OdX“’
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Last
Month
r"
Market
Strength
TITLE
Publisher 4 weeks up to 8 / 2/86
1
THEY SOLO A MILLION
Hit Squad
1 ,
-
G64
D
3
100
2
YIEAR KUNQFU
Imagine
2
-
3
90
3
FORMULA ONE SIMULATOR
Mastertronic
4
A
???
4
85
4
FINDERS KEEPERS
Mastertronic
6
A
??? !
7
69
5
CAVESOFDOOM
Mastertronic
8
A
???
*
3
68
6
GRAND PRIX3D
Amsoft
3
r
A
GG4
D
4
67
7
SOUL OF A ROBOT
Mastertronic
5
w
???
4
64
8
SKY FOX
Ariolasoft
ne
A
GG4
1
57
9
ELITE
Firebird
ne
A
GG4
D I
1
54
10
COMPUTER HITS (10)
Beau Joily
7
r
^??
3
52
11
WHO DARES WINS 2
Alligata
14
A
1
???
2
46
12
SPELLBOUND
Mastertronic
19
A
???
2
44
13
HYPERSPORTS
Imagine
ne
A
???
D
1
39
14
ONE MAN AND HIS DROID
Mastertronic
ne
A
??? 1
1
38
15
TORNADO LOW LEVEL
Vortex
ne
A
6G4
D
1
35
16
CHILLER
Mastertronic
It
T
???
7
35
17
NONTERRAQUEOUS
Mastertronic
12
▼
GG4
7
33
18
SPITFIRE 40
Mirrorsoft
16
T
A
GG4
! ° 1
2
32
19
BARRY MCGUIGAN WORLD CHAMPIONS
Activision
ne
A
GG4
1
31
20
SCRABBLE
Leisure Genius
9
T
GG4
D
6
29
D
Available
on Disc
G64
CPC 664/6128
Compatible
a”
Available
from Amsoft
???
Untested
Page 14
Amstrad User April 86
AMSTRAD PROFESSIONALS k
FROM DIGfT/I RESEARCH j
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Taking
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Both as complete
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Both configured to load and run now on
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CP/M, Digital Research. Both at an
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Both available for the first time directly to
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Start building your Amstrad armoury
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Send your order and cheque or credit card number to:
DIGITAL RESEARCH (UK) LTD_
Unit 12, Fenton Way
Southfields, Basildon
Essex SS15 6SL
Or contact your local
Amstrad dealer.
1] DIGITAL
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The creators of CR^M ■“
Full support available from BELL TECHNICAL SERVICES LTD
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Page Ifi
Amstrad User April 86
features!
■ u
’ " "Tv
'411 1
1
A* N • 1 • M
' A T * 0 • R
At last, this month I have for you the
final, complete, all-singing, all-dancing
Animator. The rea&on I didn^t have it
ready for you last month is because it waa
decided (by the Editor) that it wasn^t
fast enough dammit 1 You may have
noticed yourself that as the lines
lengthened, the routine slovved down,
which meant it was not as spectacular as
it could have been.
Faster lines
Do not let that put you off. This month
everything is as promised, and more! The
problem was that although the rest of my
code was OK the slowest thing was the
actual line drawing, and that was being
done by the firmware. There was nothing
for it but to trace the ROM^s line drawing
routine and see if it could be improved. It
couldn’t.
The ROM is fine for drawing ordinaiy
lines, and is much more friendly than
say, the Spectrum, in that it is quite
happy to let you draw lines that are not
even on the screen, and it has to cope
with the screen rolling about in memory
as well,
Friendly this may be, but it was not as
fast as we want. So I have written my own
line drawing routine. It is about four
times faster in mode two, eight times
faster in mode one and sixteen times
faster in mode zero, I don't check for lines
going off the screen, which means you
must make sure your lines always stay on
screen. The routine is fairly tolerant and
generally the lines go off one side of the
screen and wrap round to the other, but
sometimes they don't, so be careful. The
frame editing program does some check¬
ing, but it can\ check everything,
1 will explain where you should be
careful when I describe the commands.
In modes one and zero I halve and quarter
the length of the line and only plot a half
or a quarter of the points that I would in
mode two. So I am happy, you will be
happy, and most important of all the
Editor is happy.
Chris Wood presents s
program to give your
computer a touch of the
Walt Disneys.
What does the program now do? Well,
using the editor you can design as many
frames consisting of up to 60 lines
(although about 20 is a usable
maximum) and then “tie” them together
in any order you like. Say you design five
frames. One is your first name, one is
your last name, another is a Porsche, the
fourth is a tree, and the last one is a man.
By tying them together with varying
speeds you can have your first name turn
into the Porsche in 10 moves, the Porsche
turns into your last name in 30 move.s and
so on. You can vaiy^ the speed, and so the
smoothness, that one frame pans to the
next, and you can have them going
around in an endless loop, or just go from
start to finish and then stop.
With enough frames you could easily
design a small cartoon. It is very easy to
enter the key frames of a man walking,
and have the in-betweening done by the
program. The possibilities are endless,
and great fun to watch.
If you don't feel up to typing in the
frame editing program to start with, then
you can first type in the small demo
program (Listing II) to see what can be
achieved. Type in the first program to
generate the machine code and then run
the second little program to see it in
action. What it does is pick random
points for five lines to go to, animates
them smoothly there and then picks five
more points and animates from the last
set to the new^ ones.
If you want to skip the demo you must
still type in Program I. As usual it is
extensively error-checked. When that is
.safely done and you have no errors, save
the program and type in Program III.
Run the program and you will be asked
which mode you want the display to be
in, and how many lines you want to play
with. I suggest you start with 10 lines and
choose mode one. It just so happens that
10 lines is exactly the right number to
make the letters ACU, which are the
letters I used last time, and by an even
bigger coincidence are the initials of this
magazine.
Using the editor
For the purposes of guiding you through
the use of the editor I am going to assume
you are going to design these letters, but
feel free to choose your own. You will be
greeted by left and up arrows (Hello says
the arrow) at the bottom of the screen,
with the number zero next to both of
them, two number ones below them and'
the word ON next to these. There will
also be part of a flashing cross in the
bottom left hand corner. What you have
here is an empty frame, so you must
initialise it.
Pre^ the 0 key for a list of options,
press I for initialise and wait a few
seconds. You will see a amall cluster of
dots in the middle of the screen and the
flashing cross. Use the cursor keys with
Shift to move the cross about the screen.
You will see it is rubber banding the line.
As you move the line you will see the
ccxjrdinates at the bottom of the screen
changing. If you move the cross without
using Shift the cross moves by smaller
amounts.
The cross moves up and down by one
Amstrad User April 86 Page 17
FEATURESt
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pixel line, and left and right by one pixel
in mode two, half a pixel in mode one,
and a quarter of a pixel in mode aero.
This means that even though the
coordinates change when you move left
and right, the cross moves a half or a
quarter as fast for fine tuning. The
program stops you moving off the screen
when you move one pixel at a time but it
doesn^t check when you are using the
Shift key so make sure you stay on the
screen.
Move the cross an inch or so from the
cluster of dots and press the Copy key*
The cross will move to the other end of
the line, and you can move that into
position,
OK, now about those two ones and the
ON, The first one tells you which line the
cross is currently attached to and the
second tells you which frame you are
editing. Use the <l and [> keys without
pressing Shift to move from one line to
the next. Hold down the <3 key until you
are at line 10. You canT go past the
largest line you chose, and you canH go
past one in the opposite direction.
Whenever you move from one line to
another the cross is always put at the
start of the line, that is the line is drawn
from A,B to C,D and the cross is put at
the A,B end. This is useful, as I will
explain later.
Now stretch a few lines about the
screen* Ag your lines get longer,
movement about the screen will get
slower because of the work Basic has to
do between each update. It gets quite
slow to move about the screen. By
pressing Space the only thing that will be
drawn is the cross, which you can
position where you want before pressing
Space again to see the result* This makes
moving about the screen a good deal
faster*
Frame to frame
Now design ACU or whatever takes your
fancy in the middle of the screen. Not too
big, about two inches by four. Press
Enter and you will be asked *‘W-hich
frame now?” Enter 2 and you will get the
same blank screen as before. Press O and
I to initialise again. Now pres.s 0 again
and this time select T for Tie together.
Enter 1 as your first frame and it will be
drawn* Enter 2 for your second frame and
12 for the number of steps. Just press
Enter for the next two options.
Select 1 again for the next frame. This
will make the program animate from 1 to
2 to 1* This time select 48 as the number
of steps and again Just press Enter for the
next two options. When you are asked
"^'hich frame next?” for the third time
enter 999. You will see your letters
growing slowly out of a cluster of dots and
quickly back again. This will repeat until
you press ESC ESC to break into the
program. I have not checked any keys
here because I want maximum speed.
Run the program as before, enter the
mode and number of lineB, This time you
will be greeted by your first design. Press
Enter and select frame two again. Now^
we are going to copy frame one to frame
two. Press O and select the C option for
Copy and enter 1 as the frame.
You can now alter your design*
Redesign it to look similar, but with the
lines in a different order, instead of the
first four lines making up the A of ACU
spread them about. When you have done
this or something similar, you can slide
your design around the screen. Press O
and select S for Slide* You now have the
option to slide the line that the cross Is
attached to or to slide the whole design.
Select A for All and enter X and Y
increments. Enter a positive number to
move right or up, and a negative number
to move left or down. Be careful to make
sure that you don't give too large an offset
as the design could move off the screen
and you’ll confuse the line drawing
routine. If in doubt move in two or more
stages*
Flippin’ lines
Now you can press Enter and select
frame three. Copy either of the two
previous frames and alter frame 3, You
can flip the ends of a line, bo it is drawn
from what was C,D to A,B, This is so you
can simply slide a line from left to right,
or have it rotate into place. To do this
press O and select F for Flip.
You can turn a line through an angle by
selecting A from the options menu and
entering the angle to rotate through. Zero
degrees is a straight line to the left and 90
degrees is straight up* The angle is
always rotated from the A,B end of the
line ao if you want to rotate from the other
end you must flip the line before you
rotate it. Selecting P from the options
menu will allow you to change the pen
colour for the current line* M from the
menu will allow you to magnify the
length of a line, numbers leas than zero
will shrink the line. This means that a
value of 0.5 will halve its length and a
negative number will draw it in the
opposite direction from the start point.
The line is always magnified from the
A,B end of the line^ so as with rotate, you
have to flip it if you want to magnify it
from the other end. You should make
sure the line stays on the screen, so if in
doubt, move it back. With magnify and
rotate you can have your design spin from
a small one up to full size. Pressing R
from the options menu will return you
back to the editor if you change your
mind.
You should now have three frames
which you can slide bo they are spread
about the screen. Now select T from the
options menu and watch them pan from
one to the other as before by selecting 999
as the last frame. You can, of course,
animate in any order of frames, and you
don't need to use all of them* If you had
10 frames if would be quite valid to select
3,5,1,3,999, Press ESC ESC and run the
program again. This time you can try and
select how many lines that you want to
animate.
Designing a background
Always bear in mind that if you have
fewer line^ animating in a frame than in
previous frames some will be left behind
until the frame ends.
You can prevent this happening by
making the stationary' lines disappear.
This is achieved by shrinking the lines
down to a single dot, and then
positioning them in the same place as
another line, so that they can't be seen*
Stationary lines can be very useful if
you want to build up a scene on the
screen. For instance you could have a
cartoon which starts with a dot in the
centre of the screen. The dot grows into a
house in one frame, but stays on the
screen while another dot grows in to a
tree* A car could drive across the screen
before turning into a road. You decide
whether a line is to be erased or not by
answering 1 (or any other than zero) to
the question “Erase lines?" You will then
be asked if you want each line to be
erased at the end of its animation} to
which you reply Y or N for each line in
turn.
Page 18
Am s trad User April 8fi
m
FEATURES
The program will then temporarily
modify the frame data so that the
machine code doesn't erase the last
frame when it moves to the next one. If
you decide to re-animate and select all
lines to be erased when they had
previously not been^ press 0 for the
options menu in the editor and select
option E to erase. This will set all the
lines in a frame back to the normal ‘^erase
at end of frame’^ mode.
You will notice that if you animate
between two frames all the lines seem to
get erased as normal, even if you want
some to remain. This is because when
frame two goes back to frame one on its
return journey its first frame coincides
with what w^as its second-to-last frame on
its first journey^ and by erasing itself it
erases the lines that were to be left
behind.
This is true of any lines that you set to
get left behind. If a line passes over or
through them they will be erased, either
slightly or completely* If one of your
frames does erase something you wanted
left behind, you can refresh some of your
animations by copying the frames you
wanted to another frame and animating
it. You need as many copies of the
"refresh” frames as you need to do the
refreshing, as each frame can only lead to
one other frame, and you cannot link in a
frame twice - you have to use a copy of it.
I said that the lines are not erased on
the last frame of animation, and this is
true, but since the last frame of one
animation is one step before the first
frame of the next (otherwise one set of
lines would get drawn twice) you may
find that the lines are not left quite where
you want them to be.
This is not a problem, as there is a very
simple solution, It involves you having
one extra frame which consists of all the
lines simply made into a single dot which
you put somewhere out of the way. You
then animate from frame one to frame
two, but you want frame two to stay
behind. Now animate to the extra frame
in one step choosing which lines you want
to remain. As the first animation of frame
two is also the last, it stays exactly where
you want it. You can now either animate
to your next frame in one step with or
without erasing the lines, or you can
animate with as many steps as you want,
and on with your cartoon,
When you are chCM^eing which of your
lines to be erased or not erase^ remember
that you are choosing which lines remain
of the previous frame when it moves to
the present one, which is the one you see
on the screen.
Saving a frame
When you have eveiything to your
satisfaction you can press ESC ESC and
type GOTO 2150. You will then be asked
the number of lines you initially selected
and the number of frames. This is the
total number so if you only used 1,5,10,3
out of the 10 you may have designed then
enter 10 and not four or you will lose some
of them. The routine at 2150 will give you
the start and length of code to use in a
save command.
SAVT: “THING.BLN”,b, 14993,3330
You then only need to type:
MEMORY 14000:LOAD "THING.
BIN”:LOAD “DESIGNER”
to continue where you left off. If you only
want to watch your masterpiece animat¬
ing then you can type in, save and run the
very small Program Four, which you will
notice is the same as lines 2120-2140 of
the main designer* Alternatively you
could also do GOTO 2120 but then you
need the whole designer in memory.
Well, that’s all about how to use the
program, now for those of you who are
interested, is a brief description of how
the routine works. As I explained the
month before last;
X starting coordinate—100,
Finishing coordinate-150
Number of steps—10: (150-100)/10=5
pixels each step.
X starting coordinate=lOO
Finishing coordinate=155
Number of steps=10: (155—lfM))/10—6.5
pixels each step.
In machine code you can*t move by 0.5
of a pixel or any other fractions of pixels,
so they get lost and at the end of the
animation the frame would be 10 *0.5- 6
pixels out from where it should be. But if
you have another counter in your
machine code that stores the decimal
fraction and increases the coordinates
whenever a whole number is formed,
then eveiything will be fine.
Storing the fraction to one decimal
place is enough for reasonable accuracy,
but because 16 is a round binary number
you can get two nibbles of four bits in one
byte. This gives an accuracy 16 times
better than using integers. All the
calculations are made in Basic, the
offsets are calculated to add to each
position, and each time around the loop
the coordinates are increased when the
value held in the nibble goes over the half
byte in size, keeping the line accurate,
I said in the previous article that I
would get the data for each line down
from 16 bytes to six, but with ail the
features I have added, such as different
pens, the floating/fixed point and various
other little obstacles, the 16 bytes that
the program required grew to 25.
However I managed to get this com-
1 Initialise a frame with random dots
in the centre of the screen.
S Slide a line or a whole frame
around the acreen, enter an inc/
decrement in the x and y co¬
ordinates.
M Magnify a line. Give a number
greater than one to enlarge, be¬
tween zero and one to shrink a line,
and a negative number to reverse
its direction.
P Pen. Select a new pen colour, just
as in Basic.
A Angle to rotate through. The angle
is calculated from the start of the
line. Use Flip to rotate from other
end.
C Copy a whole frame to the present
one.
F Flip a line. Make the line draw
from the other end. It doesn’t look
any different but will make a line
spin when animating.
T Tie fi:ames together. Defines the
order in which to animate the
frames and the number of steps/
linee to go through/draw. Putting a
Summary of Editor commands
zero as the last frame will run from
start to finish and then stop. Put¬
ting 999 as your last frame will
cause it to go in a continuous loop.
Bear in mind when putting in a
zero that if you select 1, 2, 3, 4,1, 0
it w'ill animate to the second-to-
last animation of frame two and
then stop. It will never get to the
others because of the zero, but 1,2,
3, 4, 1, 999 is valid. If you really
want to go I, 2, 3, 4, 1, 0 then copy
frame one to frame five and do 1,2.
3, 4, 1, 0 then copy frame one to
frame five and do I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0
instead*
E Erase flags. Use this if you have
previously selected certain lines in
a frame not to be erased and you
want to change your mind, or copy
it to another frame where you do
want the lines, or other lines to be
eraaed.
R Return to Editor, If you change
your mind when you select the
Options menu.
Amstrad User April 86
Pajie 19
FEATURES[
rrr
.Ol
pressed down to 12, which is not too bad.
Each line in a frame uses 12byteSt each
frame consists of the number of lines plus
one estra space for a line that is not used.
The first two bytes point to the front of
the frame ^ the next byte points to the
next frame number^ and the fourth byte
contains the number of lines to be
animated in the frame. The last eight
bytes are not used.
The two bytes before the first frame
contain the maximum number of lines in
a frame, and the number of the first
frame to animate. They don’t have to be
in order or even start at the first one. This
is called a linked list nvhere each item
leads to another one. As you have about
20k available for frames, you can
calculate the maximum number of
frames by using the formula:
20000/(12*(nunibeT of lines +1))
A 10 line frame uses 132 bytes, so
20000/132 will allow 151 frames. Some
animations look better if a delay is
inserted between frames. To do this put a
FOR’NEXT loop in line 2130 between
the two CALL instructions:
...... :CALL 14993:FOR 2=0 to
300:NEXT z:CALL 20000: .....
I hope you have as much fun using this
program as 1 did writing and using it, I
am sure you will.
10 'Propra.^ T.
za ■ANiinroif tone generatar
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190 hs=niDS<T]
110 SOSU0 Z29ilf 1-0 THEN EUTO 240
1i0 n*n‘»1:IF TREN GUTU 110
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149 4dd = addF.l;chik.= ctik4[]
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179 IF THEM G.ATO' 240
149 PAINT "Li nf I i ini^''<>K" ; Li riHl rt* 1 0
199 WEXT t:F0R n*1 Tfl SjREAD b.
209 IF THEN HEXT^ENb
210 PffINfVERTICAL CHECIC ERROR" tEHC
2?0 4-lNSTfit"012345*rA9A&C1l|F",bi>
230 RETURN
240 PRlN'T'"EnRQR in L I i n : ENt
1000 ftULTA 60,21 ,6f^J&,C3,3a..3e^3E^ fl01
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8256 MEMORY/RAM DISC UPGRADE TD 368k £60
EXPANDABLE INTERFACE
FOR THE AMSTRAD CPC 464/664/6128
DUAL RS232- FULL EXPANDABLE INTERFACE
(For Modems, Printer. Touchpad)
2 Ports — 25 Pin Socket with Modem Handshake Signals
5 Pin Domino, uses BBC Serial Cable. Dual RS232, 8 Bit
Printer Port, B Bit Parallel 1/0 User Port, Software on
Rom, 2 X Sideways Rom Sockets. fSB.OO
CPM FILE TRANSFER SOFTWARE
To enable file transfer from Apricot, ISM, Mainframe,
many other CPM Machines. Also enables use of Telecom
Gold, Micronet and other Information systems.
TIMDISC 2nd DISK DRIVE
Software Portability, can read and write S/S CPM Disks
for IBM and Compatibles (156K).
(Please specify for 464/664 or 6126 £149.00
Also Available 3" Second Drive £89.09
(Mew 1MB 5}'^ Disc Drive (6128} £249,00
includes multi format software.
8256 2nd Drive £159 + VAT
X ROM EPROM PROGRAMME/SIDEWAYS
ROM CARD
464/664/6128 with 4 x Sideways ROM sockets —
Programmes2764 and 27128 Pproms £69.00
8256 in stock 6128 in stock
OVER 500 AMSTRAD CASSETTE TITLES
OVER 200 NOW ON DISK IN STOCK,
FULL BUSINESS SOFTWARE RANGE includest
6128, 8256, Software - Inc - Wordstar, £1 19.00
Newcird
Cfl9,9E
Su[KrC4lc II
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CsrdiTOx
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Sag^e Payroll
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£114.95
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£39.95
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E39.0O
Cotw-l
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Database
£39.00
Pascal
£39.99
Ifiuolcing
£39.00
Df. Pascal
£49.95
Brainetarm
£49.95
Quest ABC, BusinejA Suite
£149.95
Touch and Qo
£29.00
JVfanyoth^ TsUas in Stocky Ptoos^ onguirar
SIDEWAYS ROM
ArnorMaxam Assembler on Rom £49,00
Amor Maxam Rom (FitsTimatic Interface) £39.00
Arnor Disc Utility on Rom £29,95
Amor Word Processor on Rom £39.95
MicroPro Rom Card £39.00
MicroPro Prog rammers Tool kit Rom £39.00
Prestel Rom (FitsTimatic Interface) £19.95
All the latest games as soon as released.
Speech Synthesizers - From £29.95
TAPE TO DISC TRANSFERS
MODEMS, CPC 464, CPC 664, CPC 612S, PRINTERS
AMSTRAD RS 232 - £49,00
825G - RS232/CENT- £59.00 + VAT
Mail order welcome,
All Prices include VAT.
Please send see for full list to:
TIMATIC SYSTEMS LTD
DEAUfi EfiiQOfHfES WELCOME
FAHEHAM MARKET
FAREHAM. HANTS
TaI: FAHEHAM (0329)' 236727
(032512399&3
Page 20
Amstrad User April 8fi
WORDPROCESSING
Amstrad
COMPUTER AND MONITOR
Amstrad 464 64k complete with greefi monitor ond cassette
Amstrad 4M'64k complete with colour monitor and cassette
Amstrad 6t2& l2Sk complete with green monitoi and disc ..
Amstrod 612S 126k complete with colour monitor and disc ..
Amstrad 6256 complete with green moni tor and disc
£199.00p
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£399.OOp
£453 85p
3" Disc storage
• Holds 20 3" discs
• Lockable
• Brown with tinted removable lid
SPREAD SHEET
MEMORY EXTENSION
TRANSFORM LTD (Dept.AU) 01-658 6350
24, West Oak, Beckenharw, Kent BR3 2EZ
Matl Order Only
EPSON LXBO
• Near Letter Qualtly
• 100 characters per second
• Ik buffer
• Friction feed
• Tractor feed (optional e^ra]
• Sheet feed [optional extra)
T AS WORD D 4^4 6^4-612 S
Wordpfoc^ssing program complete wriih tuli
screen prompts- curd tutor. This progtam will allow
you to produce letters forms etc ful’y compatible
with ail pflniers Features include page numPenng
seofch ond firxt. searctr and replace. blocK copy
block move and moil merge. The tutor will gwe full
fraining on the use of ihe above functiors
CASSEITE without mail merge. £t9.95p
DISC £24.?5p
TASPRINT
The To^word s-tyle wTiter allows you to print 5 evtra
fonts with dot mdlrix printers Including COMPACT A
bold and heavy‘ for emphasis. DATA-RUN a
futuristic scripf LECTRA LIGHT deon Ond plCaamg
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CASSEITE 19 9 &P DISC £l 2 . 9 Dp
TA$ SPELL
This 'S a Spellifig checker fc< Ta&word D word-
processor. The dictionary contains 20 .GOO words
and grows as you us# it. simply seleci the k"
option the Tasword menu
DISC £14.50
SCREEN COPIES
TASCOPV
This program will allow you lo copy your screen
with shaded printing, irscluding poster sije screen
copies using 2 or 4 sheets.
CASSETTE E9.90P DISC 112,90p
MASTERCALC
Spread sheet program Irom the same soffwore
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byte flodting precision 40-60 column drsplay.
direct totals and sub tot-gis 3 bar histograms,
cursor direction keys, odd Of deiefe coiumns-rows
tiigh r&solufion screen copies on Epson
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CASSEHE 121 25p DISC 125.45P
MASTER CALC EXTENSION
Allows you to trar^sfer data from MosterCalc to
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CASSETTE 19.9&P DISC £13.95p
PRINTERS
DOT MATRIX E* VAT li^c VAT
Brother Ml009 £163.OOp £167.45p
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Tdran Kaga KP01O £250. OOp £ 2 8 7.50 p
DAISY WHEEL PRINTERS
Brother HRIO £245.80p £282,67p
Brother HRt£. . 1349.0Op £401,35p
Extend ydur 464/664 to 6128 with this memory
extension .... , £49.95
DISPLAY LANGUAGE
DLAN
Advertise your products, services witn the program
by Campbell Systems The print facjlity oHows you
to produce leaflets, labels rrenus using 15
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Qjaapika?
mummi
CASSETTE
Please add 15.75p delivery.
PCW8256-6128 SOFTWARE
E 9 . 95 P DISC 113 . 95 P
ACCESSORIES
DATABASES
MASTERFILE
This ckrtabose has &et the standard for micro
computers. With T00% mochne code it wilt allow
240 characfsTS per field 40 fields record 34000
chorocters file. This will enable you to keep a
record of 500 lull names and addresses. Features
include fuh seorch foclHties.. sort in ascerrding
descending order, cofumn totals. 1 or 22 records
per screen
CASSEHE £2l.25p DISC 125 45p
$age p-opuior Accounts
Sage popukii Payroll
Poyroil with Accounts
Supercalc 2 .
Sales Ledger Invoicing. Slock Control
Purchase Ledger.
Nominal Ledger .
£99.99
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184.15 p
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ACCESSORIES
Centronics Lead .
£9 90p
3'' discs.. .
£4,95p
MIodu later. . , ,
£29 9Sp
RS 232 interlace.
149-9SP
Fpsort LX 80 tfoctor feed . .
£20 7 Op
Epson sheet feed .
£55. OOP
MT009 tractor feed ...
£15.18p
M1009 rol! holder ...
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MASTERFILE EXTENSION
For those who want to stretch Masterfile. this
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CASSETTE 19.95P DISC £i3.95p
DISCORIVES
Disc c^rive without controller £99,OOp
Di$c drive complete with controller £159.OOp
t
FEATURESII^
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“ 9 nS*' y « I P □ K E Ed(J r * 9 . h I
US s"uS..’.^-«r,,^;s« pddPEiip^i
,„ s;:a'>.n'>.»""'“"‘""
Tie
t?e &TST"tTSTV4
«5ES;r;pirBi;;rEr4S".-;r-“'.
itw
1@ fiEN PROGBAH J
?« HfH fR>,nt t>ESI6N£fl PROGRAM
5fl BEK S¥ CHRIS WflOP FOR ACU 4/2/3*
10#0 INPUT ^UHICH HaC^E";ht)
1010 INPUT "HOU MAKV LINE6“;LIHESilf Llll
Es>5g OR LiNEG<.i THEN Gore 1010
10?« MODS KD:PDKE 15020,LINES:SrAtT=17O0
4iP0lCl (SIARI-2),LINESiFRH = 1^fiOSUB
U20
1030 GOGUe 1S30;LQCATE 10,25:PRJN7"’OH
DEO
1040 LOCATE 1,24:PRINT CHRStS^O);CHRiCS1
);CHR*n0J :CHR*(Z4?;CHflSC2tA)
1050 st=J2:fp=1*;
10*0 t)RZ=>DR
1070 GOSUB 14.10t ' READ KEVS
1080 IF Dft<>&ft2 TittN GOSUB 1570
10?0 C=0:O=0
1100 A^AA;0-BB
1110 IF DR=0 TREK OOSUO 1150 ELSE GOSUB
12*0
1120 PLOT AA-3,BB*2^1;bSAyfi 7,0:PLOI AA,
Se^Z-SjORAyR {l,7
1130 IF PLN-0 THEN LOCATE 2,Z4:PRIKT AA;
"JLOCAIE 11,24:PRINT BB*2;'^ "iLOC
ATE 1,25:PRINT INUM*1iLOC aIE 5,25:P
RlhT FRNi4l;CAH. 14^93
T140 GOTO 10*0
1150 GOSUB 1570
11*0 SC*=A + 102AaPENS+( (*4*75*1 ANB ¥SN<>0
):Jr XS0<>0 THEN XC=XC+12Aa£ 56
1170 ¥c = b*Z5**<'0+1A'+'h)
1180 TySt'C + SSiM
11*0 nuii = Tc:0051iie 1400
1200 POKE iddf, J.OJROKt addr + l^hi
1210 rtuM«>c::G05UB 1400
1720 POKiE iddr + Z,lfl:POKE 4)ddf + I,hi
1230 niim=xv^t:GOSUB 1400
1240 POKE jddT*4,Lo:POKE 5ddr*5,hii
1250 RETURK
12*0 GOSV® 1370
1270 *C = Ai-1024*G:lf XSNOfl THEN XC = !(t+l2
B*25*
1280 tC-a + 1fl24AI+: IF YSN<>0 T«£N TC = TC + 12
a*2E*
1290 XTST*i'*25**f
1300 huii>ifc :G0SUB 1400
1510 POKE addr+*/l 9 ;POKE addr+7,hi
1 320 rnj.ii*yc: GOSUB 1400
1330 POKE ^ddP^'E,l^):POKf jddT**,h1
1340 nuia=J!yst:GOSUB 1400
1550 POKE addr>10,(fl:POKS addr*11,1i-i
13*0 RETtTPN
1370 tHc-«)7jt:1 = (d-b>/5t:j!sn"(et01iysn
*<f<01
1380 9 = IHT((e-lNT(r?)*f pi :lv’INTC (f-I0T(t
)3*fp)
1390 t»ABS{IliT£cn:f = ABS(lNT(in;RETOftll
1400 NUM = INT(NUM3;Fii"INTTnii*/25*3: [o>^num
- ( h 1 * 2 S * 1; t F T U R N
1410 PLOT AA-3,8e*2,0;BRAyR 7,0 jPlOT AA,
e-&*2-3 : ftftAWt 0,7
1420 AA=(AA*(1 AKD IHKET (110-13 + C15 AM
D INKEt <11=321 ANtl AACO401
1430 AA=(AA-[1 AN* IMKET OJo-ll-dS AN
D IHKET £81=32] AND AA>0)
1440 BB=(0B+{1 ANC INKET (01<>-1]f(7 AN(
INKET (01*52] AND Ba<200)
1450 BB»<BB'(t ANB INKET <21<>-15-(r ANB
JnKET (21=321 ANB BB>01
14*0 IF [NKET(54l<>'1 THEN GOTO 1*50
1470 If INKET (9H>-1 THEN Dfl:itDR-0J
1480 IF 1NKETC31?<»-“1 AND LNUnoLlHES-l
THEN ADDft=AD'Dllf T2:LNUH = LH0N41 ;GDT0
1530
14*0 Tf I NKET(5*1 <>-1 AND LNUNO0 THEN A
BDR = ADDft-12lLNUIi=I.NUI1-lTOOT0 15J0
1500 I F I NKET(47l <.>-1 THEN DLH= (eLN = 0] : L
□ CATE 10,25MF DLN = 0 THEN PRINT''0N
" ELSE PftlHT^'OFF''
1510 If INKETdAlO-t THEN GOSUS 1*00
1520 RETURN
1530 Al=PE£t(AD-Dlt>425**( (PEEK( ADflB*1 )] A
NB 5]:01=PEEK(ADflB*21
1540 C1=PEEK(ADDR+*1*25**((PEEK(ACBft*7)l
ANO Si;Dl^PEEKCABBRfS]
1550 p«ns=(PEEK(a.ddrf II ANB *01/4
15*0 AA=A1:B0=81:DR*0iOR2*PREGOTO 1520
1570 IF BR>0 TNEH GOTO 1590
1580 aF=AA:B 1=BB:AA=C1:8B=B1sRETUHN
1590 t1=AA:&1=BB:AA=Al?e.&-Bl :RETMHN
1*00 NlNBOy Ai1,1,«0,25,25:CLS |f1
1610 INPUT Wl^'-NHICH FHAME N0y'';FtK:IF F
BN=0 THEN GOTO 1600
1*20 FfiN=FfiH-1 : ADDR*STABT + 12*(lineg + ll*f
RN:NUN = A00R;G(]SUe T400
1*50 CLS #1
1*40 POKE 151 73,LO: POKE 1 517*,H1 : LltUK*0 :
eOTO 1530
1*50 VlNBOU JV1,1>e0,25,25lCLG Al
1**0 PRINT #1 ,*'I^S,M,P,A,C,F,T,£-ft"
1670 KJ'INKiTS: IF CKT'"' THEN GOTO 1*70
1*80 At?IHKCTt:lF At = ''"' THEN GOTO 1*70
1*90 Ai=UPPEfiJ ( A*] iSP^IHSTHflSHPACFTEfi"
,LEFTf(AS,1 ) 1 :IF SP='0 THEN GOTO T45
0
1700 CLS flliON sp GOTO 1710,1750,1820,19
00,1860,1?10,1950,1940,1850,1840
1710 FOR n*1 TO Lines:a = I0T(f!NO*20lf 520£
bEiHT{RNtl«F01 + 100
1720 pen9=1 :OOSIia 1150:GOSUe 12*0:Addr=fi
ddrf12:ltFXT: FRN"FRI1+1 sOOTO 1*20
T730 CLS fif1;INPOT Nl,"ALL Oft ONE (A/Ol”;
At;ANvVPPEBlfASf "]
1740 SP = INSfftC'OA",l.EFTt(Af,ll 1 TIF SP«-0
THEN GOTO 1730
1750 ON sp GOTO 17*0,1800
17*0 GOSUB 1810
1770 GOSUB 1530;al-if + i1 ^b1-b1 + y i :(:1=t1 +
Ki :d1>d1 + r^ ^eosUB 15*0
1780 a = a1 :b=b1:*OSll0 1 1 50; >*tl :b<d 1 : GDSU
B 12*0
1790 RETURN
1100 GOSUB 1B10[ADDfi=STARTtl2*<Une**1l*-
FRNifOft Ti = 1 TO liniiCGOSOa 1770:add
r = addirt12:NEKTjFBHflfRNfl :GOTO 1*20
1810 CLS fllilNPUT fl,’'* inc/dflcrflasr'"; Hi
‘CLS *1:1NPUT I nt/d*tfe*l *";?
i^CLS IFl rRETI/EN
1320 CLS HTjINPUT fl t ,"M AGNI F IC AT lON'';MMi
IF PtH«0 THfH GOTO 16f#
1830 CLS miiGOSUB f530:Sl=ei’Al:¥1=D1-BT
;CHA1*<Sl*MR:l ;P1*01M1'1*HM]:GOSl&
1S*0:GOTO 1780
1340 CLS N1^RfTOflN
1850 ADBfi = STAftT4l2a(LJN£Sf1MffiM:f0ft i|f= 1
TO LINES^GOSUa 1350;GOSUB 1780lAOB
I! = AbDRf12;HCXT:RETUIHf
18*0 CLS KlrGOSUB 1330 £Kl”ABS(Al-Cl 1:T1 =
2*(ABS(61-t1]]:X1=XT*K1:T1=T1*T1:11
■SaR<XlfYll*0.5
1870 CLS AliiNPUT #1,"ftM6LE ";R0T::1F fiOT
<0 OR ROTv3*0 THEN GOTO 1870
1880 CLS AT:Cl‘A1 + INTf21*:OS<IIOTn :DWei
*J HT< < Z HS IN t ROTl 1 /2 1
1890 GOSUe 15*0;GOTO 1780
1900 CLS AltINPUT Al,“yHICH PEN";pp:tOSU
B 1530:ppn9 = |]ip. NOD 1*:OOSUB 1150;CL
S A1;R£TURH
1910 CLS JlilHPVT At,"COPT fHAN£“;CC:IF
CC=0 THEN GOTO 1910
1920 CC*CC-t;LHUM»0JAJpR5SrAirT t12!Tf RHA( I
1i1tSf1):NUHFSTARrtl2fr[;C«(lLinpsMl;F
OR H>i0 TO 1 ?al1nES:P 0KE AOBRfN,PEFK
CNuMfN) :NE!(T;CLS #1 ;GOTO 1$50
1930 CLS flUGOSOa 1530; TA^Al iTB = B 1 : Al =C 1
iBUDtiCl'TAj 01 = 18: GOSUB. 15*0:GOTO
1780
1940 CLS^IHPUT ''FIRST FRAHE (INTER TO
RETURNl'';F:IF F>0 THEN CLS:RETUftH
1950 ClSiPRIHt F;:POKE STAftT-T,F:f1R5T-S
TART + lZ'dlNES-H l‘(F-‘11;STQRE"<STAH
Tf12*(UINISt11*F)-12
19*0 NUMfFINST:GDSUB t400:POKE 15175,LO;
POKE 1517*,MI :CALL, 14m;yiNDCiH ft,
1,80,23,25
1970 CLS fljINPUT A1,''UHJCH FHAME NEAT
{0 TO finish 999 FOR CONTINUOUS1*'
;NFR
1980 S£C0ND=ETARTf12*CLlNES+11+(HFR-11:H
Un»FIflST;GOSVB U00:PDKE STORE,LOuP
OKf 5T0HE*1,HI:IF NfR=99? THEN GOTO
2120
1990 POKE STflREf2,NFfl
2000 IF NFRI0 THEN GOTO 2120
2010 CLS AlMNPUt f1,"H0y RANT STEPS'';ST
SPOKE ST0fiEf3,(ST-1]
2020 CLS A1:INPUT P1,"ltOy RANT LINES
(0 FOR ALL]'';THLiIF TNL=0 THEN TNL=
LINES
2030 POKE ST0REt4,(THL MOP (LIKES+I])
2040 CIS ffItINPUT fl/'ENASE LIHfS (0
FOR ALl)“;ELN
^050 PRINT NFRjiCLS f 1 iPH 1NTN1 CALCU
LATING^'
20*0 T£MP = SEC£1NP:NUII»SEC0N0;G05VB U00:P
OKE 1517S,10:POKE 1517*,Hi:tALL 149
95;F0R tf-1 TO LiHES
2070 addr=f>r9t:G0SU9 1530(«>*1fb^bl;add
r = s V ;GOSUB 1530:c = a1: d=-b 1 : a d d r =
firstiGOSUB 1130
2080 addr=fir5l:GOSU0 1530;A-dtb»d1:add
rajvcdOdiGOSUB 1530:c = t1 :d=d1:addr =
fjfStIGOSUB 12*0:EF=P££K(FIftST473:P
OKI fIRST+7,(EF ADD 191)
2090 IF ELN<s^0 THEN PRIHTA t, j; ; IllPUT ai,
"ERASE THIS ONE <T/H;ES:Ei=UPPEftt
^ei*n II).ip leftkes,!i="N" then ef
>PEEKCFIftSt+7]:POKE FIfiSTfT,(£F OR
*4)
2100 f i rst = f irSltl2;second*second+-12:NeA
T:FlR&TF^TENP:SfORE=(STAfiH'12*(LlNES
+T)ANfR}-t2
2110 GOTO 1970
2120 9tart=17004:tLS:A=PEEK(START-ll:UIN
ES*PEEK<START-2]
2130 IF A<>0 THEN A0DR-{STAflT*1J*<LINES*
1)*A)-12;P0KE 15173,PECKtADDift>;POKE
I 517 *>peek(;aoor*ii±poke 13001 ,peek
(ABBR*11 :POkE 15020,PE£K(addri'41^CA
LL T4993;CALL 1 5000iA?PEEK( A0D-H42 1 :
GOTO 2130
2140 END
2150 IMPUT ^NUMBEH OF LINES";LINES
21*0 INPUT "NHMOER OF FRAMES";FRH
2170 PRINT 14P9j,(t7003*124(LIHE5t11*FNMi
)-t499S
Listing in
Page 22
Amstrad User April 86
DATAFILE II
The user friendiy Dutubitse.
Disc £19.95 CasE^ettc £14.95
Menu driven — easy to use
20.40 or 80 characters per One
Variable file and field size
High speed search, sort and find options
Label, Summary and dump print options
HELP menu available at all times
STOCK CONTROL
and INVOICING
Disc £29.95
1000 records on single disc (1500 on double)
Linked invoicing facility
Re-order, stock and stock value reports
Buying and selling price lists
Current stock leveJ and value
MUSIC MINSTREL
High qu^iity Mask' Cotupo^Hion prognitith
Disc £19.95 Cassette £14.95
Menu driven - easy to use
150 pages of music with 16 chords per page
Musical features include slurs, crescendos and
accelerandos
Keys can be changed during the course of a musical piece
Kuma FORTH
A comprehe'nsive imptementatUfti of FtG FOHIH
with rirniiy added features^
Oise £24.95 Cassette £19,95
Floating point
Genuine cursor controlled Screen Editor
Virtual memory system for both tape and disc versions
Support for RS232 interfaces
Colour Graphics and Sound ifr Function key support
ARTWORK
An easy4o-use btii powerhd Graphics deA’i^ri package.
Disc £16.95 Cassette £9.95
►
^ Line, Box, Circle and Ellipse routine
^ Screen may be scrolled in any direction
Useful HELP option available at any time
if Fast fill option ic Text mode for diagram labels
BRIDGE
A ihaiicttging version of CtfuUacl Bridge.
Disc £13,95 Cassette £8.95
►
★
★
★
★
Stayman and Blackwood conventions
Helpful screen layout and prompts
Single key operation, for highest and lowest
Fast reaction time — no annoying pauses in play
HERCULE
Excepiioiudiy friendfy O-hvH rr«"fifh feuchiug program.
Cassette only £8,95
►
500 word and phrase vocabulary for translation
ic Automatic random retest for wrong answers
Exceptionally user friendly
^ An invaluable revision aid for all O-leveL students
ARGO NAVIS Disc £12.95 Cassette £6.95
Your spaceship has been overrun by aliens and your only hope of survival is to collect and set the twelve self-destruct bombs deep in
the heart of the vessel, return to the airlock and escape to safety. Sounds easy, doesn't it? - but beware - this exciting, addictive,
multi-scenario game abounds with hidden dangers both inside and outside the ship!
Disc £12.95 Cassette £6.9$
RENEGADE
You must negotiate your way through a large, heavily guarded maze to Steal a priceless jewel, hidden on the tenth level. Having
reached this crystal you must fight your way back out of the maze to ensure your ultimate revenge. A superb multi-level, addictive
game with lots of devious surprises!
CREDIT CARD HOTLINE 07357 4335
Please send me:
Disic Cass.
Qty
Total
[DATAFILE 11
STOCK CONTROL
MUSIC MINSTREL
BRIDGE
ARTWORK
Kuma FORTH
HERCULE
ARGO NAVIS
RENEGADE
Send to: Kuimi Camputerf Ltd, Hortet^hoe Park. PAMGBOVRNE, Berks PCS 7JW
Name ....
Address
(to agree ...
with credit ..
card account) ..
4 + + + + + + 4- h
... Post code
Cheque enclosed for £ .....
ACCESS/BARCLAYCARD Ac. | | | |
Or charge my
I
I
I
TOTAL PAYABLE
Signed ........ Expiry date of card
I
j
PROTEXT
FORAMSTRAD
464/664, 6128
THE ULTIMATE AMSTRAD WORD PROCESSOR!!
PROTEXT is without doubt the most sophisticated word processor you will
find on any home micro. It is of com parable standard to business packages
costing over £200 but has been developed for the AMSTRAD 464/664 and
6128 machines and is 100% machine-code. We know that PROTEXT is the
fastest program of its ^pe currently available (eg global search and replace
on a thr^ page file in under a second!). Bearing in mind the range of
features inciuded and their ease of use, this package is rightly acclaimed as
the No. 1 word processor for Amstrad owners. Compare these features and
benchmarks with any other similar products.
PROTEXT FEATURE SUMMARY
(wAimaiKl* - Su per fa$t Load. Merge etri) Save, Cat Print |10 printer/Sd'Hnyilla),
Cursor Movoment - Sy chOracter'/wiord /l^na/pajragraphyscrafln, te stsii or end Of M ne, lo slort cr end text,
to Hne number, to place marker, lo margtn.
and deleting - Inseft/ovefwiie mode, insert ctiaractef or Ime. delele charadcr forwards or
backwards, delete word,
FIND and REPLACE - Wildcards, all or pan of text, case speci^fic, whole word or pan of word. And control
codes.
Block cotmifiandt - Move/copy/d^olo/aave/prmt/format.
Horlieri i block markors and 10 place markers may be set anywhere.
Formatting - Word wrap, right justify, variable left and right margins.
RjuIm lines - UnNmited Humber of ruler lines to deflne margins and tabs.
Prwii options - Headers/footers, page numbers, variable line spacing, variable page length and margin
sizes, condiliOEial page throws, odd and even page features. conUniKHis or single sheets,
multiple copies.
Prcf-uer feafuros Including emphasised, condensed, double-strike, elite, italics, enlarged, pica. NLO,
subsicript. superscript, underline. 0uiH irt Epson printer driver. Ability to easily define your own
printer driver artd save to disc,
leotuns Optional on screen command summaries.
nwit in duracier - Danish/French/G«rman/ltalian/Spaolsh/Swedish.
Other fealurH - Non break space, display labs, returns and hard Spaces, soft hyphema word count, case
conversion, copy ruler. 40 page easy to reed manual with full index and gtossary of terms.
"I AM STUNNED AT PROTEXT — IT KNOCKS POCKET WORDSTAR INTO A COCKED HAT'
AMTIX ISSUE 1 "DONTMISSrr.mSSUPERB" — POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY
'^MILES AHEAD OFTHE AMSWORD TYPE PROGRAMS" —AMSTRAD USER
BENCHTES
A standard file of 775
(4,785 characters) w
carry out the foJfowir
benchtests (all timing
ITS
words
as used to
ig
js are in
seoonusj:
flWTlXI
TASWOfWAMSWmo
1 UMDtKtfye
4.J
1012
1 SAVEtedfil*
4 9
IftS
3 RtFOnilUTBMlrwa
ISbw^
9.4
ISJ
4 ft* HOfMai Ritin ted
2.4
btrtPwmita
h How iinerty 1B
dm iiltDi
widv
□.1
B hriwtfHKlIyXi
ndflflnl
0.2
u
7 HEPUCI Wwith lHr
[4S duwhcrI
t.l
34 1
B SflAII infmHt
2.2
7.2
S KHRGEfjklsantit
irflHl
49
Pfut Pauith
10 UERSflihiiRiietitii
3.6
1Z.4
II MOVC B5-w«f4 Hrtfripfi
D.l
u prdguam lud tmie
DISC
ROM
12S
laiaM .
146
■m ibniMlb
NOW TWO POWERFUL NEW ADDfTHDNS TO YOUR WORD PROCESSING SYSTEM
PROSPELL
Checks your spelling!
Proof reads your documents
« Work* dlmcth ftrm PflOTEXT*
A si ng le carTTmand bri ng s IhEr spell itig Chetiter into actinxi.
Correct errors while viewinfl the docum-En!.
Add naw words tb dictibnarY drsc either US they occur or all together for entre
speed.
PftOSPELL works with all ASClf IiIes from other wdrd processors as well.
• ManyOptIcns*
Including — add words to dictionary / ignore word /corned spelling J
delete words / list words f word count 7 analysis el words in tert f copy
dictionary f ihidelise newdictionaiy / plus lots mno reri
• Ver-sion A., .PFIOSPELL an DISC •
Thousands of words oe dictionary disc.
Add your own words op (o around lO[>,dOO per dlctiongjydisc
Any number ofdiclionary discs can be used
• Varsion 9 . . .F-RQSPELL on PISC tnd hOM «
Program and dictionary of common wards on ftOM
Marn dictionary on disc..
More text space and incradible spead.
Thousands of wo rds hava been packed i nto 1BK RO M lor raal ly fast 0 peratiO n.
And you thought PflOTEXT was fastlF
PROMERGE 4
This m^jor addition to the PROTEXT word processor
combines a fully fbxibJe mall merge program allowing
PROTEXT to produce individualised documents in one
single print run,
[bS COMPfiEHENSn/E MAIL MEFtGE
Head date from file or keyboard-
Merged fields of vefying lervgiths are automaricallv rEformatred.
File mergE — insen filewhila printing.
Conditional printing — aalact from inpul data lag you could print letters Id all
cuBtomBrs whose nama is not Smilhf.
Compatible with Masterfi Id exldr^sidn
[bl PROTEXT ENHANCEMENTS
Background printing.— edit ona file while ydu print anDlTiSr
Print Tile direct from distor mamory.
Two file editing — switch between tyvo files in memorv.
Cut and paste — any black of tekt can be moved to any position — allows
multiple column layout.
Auto configuration —you can sef up a disc to configure PROTEXT to your
referted options with a single keystroke.
ypawritar irudB — for envelopes Etc.
BASIC pragram editing — direct from mEmary.
CalculBtor — a s im pie on-screen ca Iculaidr fo r those i nvOrce totais, CIC.
*6120 OWNERS*
These fealones make full and sensible use ol yeurexlra memary but also
function with smal ler filas on tha 4B4 and 664 m achi nes. d4.9S
ROM £34.96
MAXAM ASSEMBLER
Now recognised as the industry starrdard assemblar/moniior/editof. Usad
by all llw leading software houses, computing magazines and widely used
Ihruugh'oul industry.
‘H'hH ptoca of aaflwara should baboM upoa inaxamplaof whatcon bo
dona by progranmMn who car*. It ia brilHonl.^
ELECTRONICS & COMPUTING
“MAXAM is a Mipsrb HOM whioh is rsoofttmandvd tef all HrtOu*
mochina coda programmon^ It contains a poworfid osaomblar and an
escallani odiiar srMch is a |ot lo uml^
COMPUTING WITH THE AMSTRAD
‘ARHOR ar« to be congfoteUted on • supexb ^ definitely the
bm,"
HOME COMPUTING WEEKLY
“A produd no serious Amstrad uaer con olFord lo be
YOUR COMPUTER
Why make machifie-code difficult?
Why e*e anything leu tlwn MAXAM?
PROTEXT and MlAXAHara available PnaasEctle, disC.riOrnarid plug-in cadridgo.
CASSETTE AND DISC
The iraiipensive inIrcHlucliDn to Iba Arnor profe*.aiCHldl software
OasseCIs E19.9S Dmc £».fl9
ROM
For lhase peoplewho already own a rom expansian bOH. Just p4ug in a rom and off you go.
Arngr romq a/^ campatible with all Other rOm boxes.
EPROM E3S,BS
PLUG IN CAffTRIDGE (ADZ)
Ccjmpleta Plug-ln-and-go ROM cariripge conlalning erther PROTEXT or MAXAM. NO HOM
BOXES HEQUIRED! In addition, tfw cartridge has a flKVOUgh connaotor for fudhiBr
peripharBis and an eirtra sackel lor expar>dlt>g the System wilh Dur OWd 4 way rom board-
the AD2 carfrkdge plugs direedy Into tfie 464.664 ar 612B. fittir^ siiugly Into ihee«pansX)n
port. Hlbng a pROText carindge means lhal as soon asyouawheb your Amstrad com pular
on, PftOTEXT is mslantlv ready and wdilirtp IPf you tO dse
Consider Ihe price of our cartridge syslem. JusI CIO Ohio Ihe prica Of Ihe rom software and
no extra hardware fe^uired Why pay twice ars much to gel ^riartdd^
AD2 cartridge (PROTEXT or MAXAM)
wilh no extra hardware required .. . £44.95
4 WAY ROM CARD (progs tnlo cartridge) .-... . . CfS'-9$
HtMtUsth ROM and cartridge software gives you a marSBive 40K text space!!
_i
UTOPIA
FOR AMSTRAD
464/664. 6128
* EXTEND THE POWER OF YOUR AMSTRAD
* 50 NEW COMMANDS—ONLY £29.95
* CAN YOU WORK WITHOUT THEM?
Written by the author of MAXAM, UTOPIA is the complete utilities package. Available
to both the disc users and BASIC programmers, it inicudes all the most useful
commands you will need to increase the power of your Amstrad. All the commands
below are accessible from BASIC, MAXAM or PROTEXT.
DUMP
(For Epson/DMP2000 Printers)
DISC UTILITIES
Instantfv SASIC you can perform the following
Format a disc
CopyfirafiO or Z drives)
Saleciive file deletion
Load a ny file to ary add ress
(no setting HIMEM)
Any tiletOKrean
FORMAT
COPY
PELETE
LOAD
DUMPf
TYPE]
LIST>
Utopia al5D coniai ns e very powetfuS disc- edi tor; ■
DEOIT You dtSplay/ohangB any tyte of informal iofl on any disc. Essential
for saving part of a co-rrupted disc or restoring deleted files.
DISCOPy Copy adisc(l or 2dTives!i
ACCESS PrOlecl/UnprotBCt Sys/Pir
fileSi
INFO Displays load, exec
gddfess«s and file length
SAVE Save block of memory as
binary Of ASCII
PLUS MANY OTHEH USEFUL COMMANDS
PROGRAMMING UTILITIES
Invaluablecomoiands for BAStC or nnachine code
programmers
RND Find any SASIC keyword or
ASCII string
REPLACE As FIND with replace
oplion. Selective or Gl<>i>al
VARS List all variables
ARRAYS List arrays
FIMS Listfuric1iDn&
CALL Call machine code routine.
allowing -setting of registers
MEOrr Powerful memory etSrlOf
MOVE Move BASIC lines
STATUS Display into an Current
BASIC program, eg S'Ze.
HFMEM alc
TOKENS Display function key
definitions
HOKEYS Cancel UTOPIA function
keys — see below
C Calculate expression
MDLIMP Li St memory Ihex/ASCIl)
PRINTING & FUNCTION KEY COMMANDS
GDUMP Ful I 2 7 ebade graph ics
Btraen dump for DMPZOOO
and all Epson compafibls
printers
PRINTON Echo all screen Output to
S rinter
ery fast charaeier dump
from screen to any printer
PHINTOFF Switch off PRINTON
UTOPIA ai&o sets up the function keys to contain useful daCinftFOr^s. eg;-
CTRL + ENTER
CTRL -I- ffl
CTRL -I- M
CTHL-t-f2
CTRL -I- f3
CTRL -t- M-f8
CTRL +-f5
Dives RUN '"DISC” if disc drive is fitted
Sets colours for BO r^ol u mrt work on colou r scraens
LIST
Set TO S-0 column mod^
CAT
. etc
Erase backup files
You win be ^urpri^d how much time all Ihesa funCirOrt keys will sava!
AND FINALLY
Now you are in the world of ROM software, we ha ve included
some extra commands to make your ROMs easier to use.
HELP List ROMs showing yers-ion
number and workspace
address
HELP.n List all commands in ROM n
HEtPfl List all RSX-commandE
ROMOFF Turn off sEte£3ted ROM'S
ROMON Turn on selected ROMs
U Execute UTOPIA tJornmarKi
XROM Execute Comma ntf i rr
Specified ROM
|U and XftOM gel Overth-e problern of comman d na tYW duptlcalipn)
Available fiwn sdecled branches of
WHSMITH
"A POWERFUL RANGE OF COMMANDS AT A
BARGAIN PRICE" — POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY
COMPLETE PRICE LIST
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FEATURE j
Notice that the actual string is held
THIS month Tm taking a break from
plodding through the alphabet looking at
each keyword, to take a look at strings.
Thin, thick or saisal?
Strings are a computers way of storing
text, and many useful things can be done
with them.
If you think about it, a sentence is a
series of words strung together, And a
word is a series of characters strung
together. A computer has to have precise
information to deal with, itcan^t handle
a sentence of text unless it has all the
characters that appear in it. If you were
to type the sentence “I’m forever blowing
bubbles” on to your computer screen you
would be creating a string 27 characters
long. It is important to remember that
even spaces where no character appears,
and also single quote marks and other
punctuation symbols, are counted as
characters.
Halfer$ makes no cents
Let us now look at string variables. These
have ordinary variable names but end in
the dollar symbol^ for example:
at
bills
f r E d S
GOiNK
LDCO
When you assign a string of characters
a string variable, you do it like this:
Old strings are a load of
garbage
The computer now^ knows that fredn^
contains 21 characters and it stores the
string away in memor>^ The next string
created will be placed next to fredS like a
long row of Scrabble letters. If you now
between two sets of double quotes. This
tells the computer that the information
betw^een them is a string of data. The
Amstrad allows you to omit the second
quote mark at the end of a string if the
string is the last item in the line.
RUN'^-disc
I
Page 26
Amstrad User April 86
pp^»iwp»—i uJ . .. I'l^ ti j J
8 >:- if f-iS^
FEATURE
added characters to fred$ like this:
fredt = fredi+'' S^ith"
fredS will no longer fit into its allocated
space. When this happens Basic puts
fred$ into a new space and marks the old
space for deletion. This means that every
time you make an assignment such as
fred$- a piece of memory is being used
up.
As memory fills up and runs out^ Basic
goes back through all the old strings and
deletes them^ moving the remaining
Strings into the reclaimed space. This
process is called garbage collection and is
the cause of baffling pauses in large
programs that make uae of a lot of
strings.
It can be very annoying to have to wait
for quite long periods during a propam.
Garbage collection can be avoided but
this is tricky and you will need to
understand the commands and functions
to do with strings.
How long is piece of
string?
Twice as long as half. Or you can use the
command LEN. Try this:
PHINT LENUr?dt>
and this:
MINI LE«{'* 1154 !*r“);LENUt>
As you can see, LEN retumB the number
of characters in the various strings. A
string with no characters in is called a
null string. A null string is often
represented as and contains 0
characters. The maximum length a
string can be is 25a characters long.
Cutting the strings
There are some useful functions to cut
out bita of strings. These functions work
by allowing you to say which character of
the string to begin at and how many
characters you want. The result is then
assigned to another string.
M1D$ ia the most important of these,
LfOok at these examples:
PRIItT HlCSC'flbcdefflRii
PRIKT HieSCabcdtff
These show various parts of the string
being chopped out. The first example
takes three characters from the string.
The second takes all the characters up to
the end of the string.
The two other commends for cutting
strings are RIGHTS and LEFTS. These
examples should make it clear how they
work:
Pfi-IWT RitHrt{'**ljccl*lg»iijkl^'',5)
PfllNl LEFrt^"all■cdefg^l^
Chopping without
changing
We’ve just been looking at ways of
making new strings out of old ones. Using
MID$ it IS possible to alter existing
strings without creating a new one. It ia
worth reminding ourselves about gar¬
bage collection at this stage. If we can
alter a string without creating a new one
we can avoid Basic doing a garbage
collection.
In the examples above, M1D$,
RIGHTS and LEFT$ end up on the right
hand side of the line of program. When
MID? is used on the left it can modify an
existing string, for example:
There are some subtleties that should be
noted about this example. A string must
exist before it can be modified. So you
cannot put the string abcdef into the
MID$ expression, it has to be assigned to
a variable first. The characters in aS are
replaced by the characters of the string
123. As 123 does not completely
obliterate aU the characters in a$, some
will remain unchanged.
What happens when the string being
pushed in is longer than the string being
pus^hed into? Also what happens when
the MID8 command has the third
parameter set, specifying the length of
the gap being pushed into? And what
happens when there is no space at all Or
MID$ is told to push characters into a
character position beyond the end of the
string?
Are you paying
attention? Now we’re
asking questions
Here are some examples to try out for
yourself. See if you can work out what the
result will be before you enter them.
Watch out for improper arguments
(values not in the range 1 to length of a|).
reading a key from the keyboard:
10 Hi
?• LOCATE 10,10
30 PfilNT''MtJHjry being uStd :";FflE(0)
40 «s«iigi!:Eri
50 GCITO 20
10 Hi
13 il^CHRi{?33>
20 LOCATE 10,10
30 PfiJNT''HF(icry being used ;FfiE(03
40 n[l)$CaIi,1>il)il^E'f3
S0 GOTQ H
In the first example every time you press
a key you lose some memor>^ With a
short program like this it’s not impor¬
tant. With 41000 odd bytes available you
would need to press a key 41000 times
before Basic did a garbage collection. In a
longer program, however, with more
strinp, it is useful to use this as there is
less free memory available.
If you put REMs into line 20 and
change line 30 in the above examples to
PRINT a$, you'll be in for a hit of a shock.
The second, better example that IVe
given you doesn’t work properly. It
carries on printing characters even after
the key has been released. Well of course
it does, a$ still contains a character.
INKEY$ automatically returns a null
string when no key is pressed. In the first
example a null string is being printed
every loop. In the second^ a$ with a null
string pushed in, is being printed.
There are ways round this. Having
printed a8, reset it to contain a character
not obtainable from the keyboard. Then
this character can be tested for and not
printed.
Line 30 would look like this:
30 If »i<>CltfiStZ55) THEH 5*fUNT aS;
Boy is this complicated. Don't panic! If
we put a character that doesn’t print
anything on the screen into aS, it will still
be the same length but nothing will
appear on the screen and we won’t have
to test it.
Change line 30 to do this:
30 PRINT aS;
at^"abcde'fg":mD*-(ai,31 ^"123454769"':PRINT at
at=" 3 bcdf fg": HI Dt Eat,3,21 ="123456789'*? PS INT at
aSt"»bcd6fg"5nlDS^aS ,2,5J*"123‘';PRlHr Bt
ala"'al5edafg":MlCS(aS,2)*"'12’':PBlNl at
aS = "abtdBfg’'lHI11SE.aJ,0,Leh<Bit>l-"123454?"?l*RlNt at
ai-'*at)C^1efg"?Nlt!-$Cjt,1^“SPACet<L€Niatl-LEH{"1Z3">>+"125"
iS = "abcdeffl"^m&J( as,9 5 ="123436789"
Well, did you get them all right? I hope
30. Understanding and using MID$ in
this way can help you get the most from
Locomotive Basic.
This doesn’t work!
To illustrate the advantages of using this
technique, here are two examples of
Now do this
Just to test whether you’ve taken any of
this in, here’s a little exercise to try before
playtime.
Write a routine that will accept any
length of string and reverse the order of
the characters in it, without us ing more
than one string variable.
ACU
Amstrad User April 86
Page 27
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ir Pay listings include: Pay register
Financial summary
Coin and note analysis
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IDEAL FOR 1ST TIME USERS
FEATURE
SEEK AND
YE SHALL FIND...
Into adventures with Bill Brock
At last...
After what seems like a lifetime, but is in fact only a few
years, Melbourne House have finally released The Lord
of the Rings. Was it worth all the effort on their part and
the build-up of anticipation on ours?
The Hobbit remains a classic adventure, not only was
it the first to have really good graphics but it also
launched a new era of games that included independent
characters that could be influenced, but not compelled,
to follow the commands of the player. It was also the first
adventure game to be linked so firmly with a well known
book.
In our world of computer adventures, it is difficult to
be so innovative all in one package. There was the odd
bug in the original Hobbit program, but nothing that
could alter its tremendous success, in fact an
ad venturer's Iibrar>' is not really complete unless it
contains a copy.
This success gave Melbourne House a reputation for
good software that they never lost, even though
subsequent adventure programs never quite reached the
same levels as The Hobbit, Shortly after the public had
got their teeth into that adventure came rumours of
something bigger and better still, The Lord of the Rings,
This, as if you didn’t already know, is professor rJ.R,R.
Tolkien's epic trilogy about Middle Earth, of which The
Hobbit was only intended to be a children's
introduction,
Rumours flourished - everyone wanted to believe
them - and finally became reality, at least one third real,
as The Lord of the Rings computer adventure will be
published, as were the books, in three separate parts.
The first program is massive and is split into two parts
on two cassettes. It is based on book one, The Fellowship
of the Ring, which is included with the software.
The reverse side of the first cassette has a beginner’s
level game, This is much smaller, with few^er locations
and objects to find or use but with hint messages - not
help, as the instructions say - and a score facility,
neither of W'hich are in the main game. It is useful for the
novice as it emphasizes the need to draw maps and in a
small way hints at the puzzles to be found in adventure
games. If anything it is a little too simple to solve.
True to the book
The main games may be played as independent
adventures, but on completing the first part you are told
to save that position. This will ensure that when starting
the second part you retain your companions and objects
that you have found so far. The instructions do say that
it should not be impossible for an experienced
adventurer to complete the second half on its own.
The accompanying 32 page booklet presents a fairly
clear picture of what is expected of you, together with an
explanation of Inglish. This is similar to that used in The
Hobbit, allowing you to input quite complex sentences
and also talk to other characters. The vocabulaj-y is
large, with many hundreds of words being understood.
On loading the main program - about 10 minutes -
you are offered the choice of which of the four Hobbit
characters - Frodo, Sam, Pippin or Merry - you wish to
play (control). Those that are not under player control
will generally follow the master character.
There is provision for the control of more than one
character, so permitting more than one player joining in
the adventure. Merry is waiting for you across the River
Brandywine, take too long in getting to him and he goes
off in search of you, so it might be worth having him
under separate control anyway.
The graphics are few and far between and when
displayed are pretty poor - blocks of colour in general,
.rather than detailed pictures. There are a number of
semi-independent characters within the story. Moat are
important to the correct outcome of the game and their
actions may be influenced by the player by talking to
them and giving them some form of command.
The storyline generally follows the book remarkably
w^ell, with obvious changes in detail to create the puzzles
Title screen from Lord of the Rings
Amstrad U ser A pril 86
Page 29
FEATURE
I
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Froda in action in Lord of tko Rings
that make the game worth playing. The Hobbits’
journey through the Old Forest, their meeting with Tom
Bombadil and the Barrow-wight are all there - none of
which were included in either the film or the radio
versions.
Section one takes the Hobbits towards the elven
retreat at Rivendell, section two, from Hivendell,
through the Mines of Moria, the wood elves’ realm in
Lothlorien and on towards the parting of the fellowship
by the River Anduin,
Mapping is^ as always* very important, more so with
this program than some because often directions are
somewhat strange, with a number of one-way paths.
One expects odd things to happen in adventures but this
‘^movement jungle” does seem to be a bit overdone. The
mazes are good too - make sure you have a guide to
travel through the marshes.
Oh so slow...
The screen display has almost a full depth scrolling text
window, this is flanked to the left by three narrow
vertical windows in which are displayed the pictures of
the other principal characters not present at that
location, the overall effect being of four overlapping
pages.
As you move your master Hobbit from one location to
another those with him will briefly appear in the nearest
of these windows, while they make up their minds to
follow the leader, and are still at the original location.
This sounds more complicated than it is* the system is
quite clear to understand in practice. The major
problem being the speed, or rather lack of it* with which
all this is carried out. One cannot escape the fact that
the program is diabolically slow. Type in N* for Go
North, and you can wait for over 20 seconds before you
can give another input command - and that is with only
three characters with you. After Rivendell you could
have eight or nine.
What aggravates the situation is that having waited
for Sam to make up his mind to follow the others you
finally see “Sam enters” on the main screen, but still
you cannot type in a command for several seconds {no
input cursor is present) and you cannot type ahead as
there is no keyboard buffer facility.
Those with nimble fingers will now be cursing because
Page 30
they will have started to type something in* only to have
the last few letters of the command accepted, which of
course will not be understood.
To give a command to another character you use the
format: Say to Sam “Get the rope”. This also poses
problems to start with* as there is an appreciable delay
in the cursor reappearing after typing in the “ sign. It is
very easy to have the first couple of letters after this
missing.
I guess that these long delays are caused by a
combination of the complexity of the parser and
deciding which independent character is doing what.
Then the question is: Is this inefficient programming or
just a by-product of a complex program? There are some
other strange results too, if you “Climb tree” all is well,
but “Climb down” and you get “You climb down the
map”.
Several such bloomers will cause a smile to players -
lots of programs that try for complex parsing
occasionally exhibit such funnies. Some are not so
funny, such as when you have a sword but cannot use it.
What is not funny at all is when the program crashes out
completely and you have to wait 13 minutes to get
playing again {10 for the main program and 3 to load a
saved game).
Whoops...
I have spotted two locations that have repeatedly been
the area for a crash* one is the dark tunnel to the Old
Forest where my program crashes if I have no means of
lighting the way, and the second w'as when I dragged
Tom Bombadil with me into the barrow to protect us
from the Barrow-wight. He is not the answer!
Regular saves are well worth w^hile, even if it does take
three minutes. It takes longer than that to repeat your
steps. Also beware of friends leading you into the path of
the black riders. If you lose the magic ring to the enemy
your quest is over, and because of the complexity of the
program, you have to load in the main program again -
another 13 minutes.
Although the above criticisms are fairly damning, I
have enjoyed playing The Lord of the Rings, but it is
certainly not the game for an impatient player. If you are
hooked on Middle Earth you will forgive the program’s
bad points and enjoy it regardless, but I doubt that the
program will succeeed as would befit the sequel to The
Hobbit.
Think carefully,..
Activision have produced a number of good games but
until recently have given the emphasis to the
Commodore 64, Now they have released Mindshadow*
an adventure game for the Amstrad. Let us hope this is
the first of many*
The original Mindshadow was a disc-based game for
the CBM 64* calling up the graphics from disc each time
you moved to a new location. Activision obviously felt
that a cassette version would give the game a new lease
of life and at the same time converted it for other
machines.
You play the part of an agent who has been betrayed
Amstrad User April 86
and left to die on a desert island. To complicate matters
you are suffering from amnesia. You must extricate
yourself from this desperate situation and in so doing
gradually piece together the clues to your identity. The
action moves to a pirate ship, to England and to
Luxembourg ... enjoy your travels.
The program is in two parts (loading time about 4+
minutes) preceded by an adventure tutorial. This is all
good stuff with several ideas to help the novice
understand the v^orkings of adventure games. You donT
have to load this if you don^t want to.
The game is well thought out and has several extra
facilities that could well be taken up by other software
houses. The Amstrades numeric keypad is used to
provide 10 single key input commands - repeat last
command, save and load game position, get all, drop,
examine, help, quicksave, quickload and remember.
Most of these are obvious but the last three are of
special interest, Quicksave will save your game position
into the computer’s memory and is particularly useful if
you are about to attempt anything at all risky . It is very
Jfast and its use is to be recommended. Quickload will
just as quickly restore you to that quicksaved position.
Remember enables you to think about objects or
people that you come across in your travels. Hopefully
this thinking will trigger off a memory that will help you
find your true identity.
Rapid action
Pictures and text are displayed on the screen very^
rapidly, so enabling players to progress at their own
speed, with no delays to interrupt the thought processes.
The graphics are colourful and reasonably clear, the text
is displayed in 80 column mode at the bottom of the
screen. On a colour monitor this is quite readable, but
could be better.
Keying Enter with no input removes the picture and
shows the previous commands and the replies given.
Most commands are given in the usual verb/noun
fashion but the parser will recognise a limited range of
more complex inputs when the need is called for.
There is also a very useful facility to enter a string of
commands at one time, such as N, N, E, E, S, E, GET
STONE, W, W, S, This saves a great deal of time if you
need to repeat a series of previously determined
commands.
Help comes in a strange form - from the Condor, a
somewhat enigmatic super-bird. He will only help you
three times, but can come in pretty useful if he decides
to put his mind to it.
You can always cheat a little if you have used up your
three wishes by starting from the beginning and
following through the game up to the point where you
need help, as in most games the answers to the puzdes
are easy to see after you have solved them, so starting
from the beginning is no great chore.
I donT think there are any red herrings, so everything
you find will have a use at some time. Not all useful
objects are described in the text, so look at the pictures
carefully.
The locations are divided up into sections, where you
are not able to move on to the next section until you have
The sick bay of Mindshadow^s pirate ship
Along the world-famoue Strausbahn
A welcome at the tnnf
solved the present one. That does not mean that items
found earlier will not be needed later.
The game is not difficult, but again is by no means
easy, it utilises many of the adventurer's expected types
of puzzles and so should provide a good primer for the
newcomer. The clues are there, you have to find them,
you also have to take some direct action on occasions
and have to stoop to a little theft... but [suppose it's all
In a good cause.
ACU
Amstrad User April S6
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REVIEW
Jeremy Vine puts
the latest in Epson's
family of printers through its paces
A nutty old German Professor may be able to print out
his thesis quietly in the local library but I bet he can't
load paper into the printer. No, I haven’t been at the
drinks again, this is merely the ravings of a frustrated
printer user. Let me explain.
Epson seem to be forever increasing their range and
the FX-85 is the latest in the FX-line of high quality dot
matrix printers, It has a single parallel (Centronics) port
at the rear of the machine with the option of fitting a
serial interface. In common with the present trend the
FX'85 has a Near Letter Quality (NLQ) mode of
operation,
NLQ is becoming standard feature on dot matrix
printers and one which is of great importance. The
problem which they used to suffer from was that the
quality of print was no way near as good as that of a
daisywheel printer/This of course was no surprise and
those requiring a letter quality printer would purchase
the more expensive and less flexible daisywheel, Epson
get round this problem by reducing the printing speed
and overprinting on the same line in order to emphasise
the print. This works remarkably well and the quality of
NLQ print is very acceptable.
The FX-85 boasts two main modes of print. A Draft
mode which prints at 160 CPS (characters per second)
arid the NLQ mode which is about two-thirds slower,
Although there are a host of character print styles (ie
italics) and commands to change the size of print,
few are actually available in the NLQ mode (see Figure
1 ).
The most glaring omission is that NLQ italics are not
available. This may not be so much an omission as a
Ty pes tyie Summary (D) Draft mode only
Print style (NLQ or draft) |
Elite characters (D)
Pica characters
Proportional spacing (D)
Alternative character
sets
International character
sets
Italic (D)
User-defined characters ,
(D) ,
Print size com mands
Condensed (D)
Enlarged
Graphics (bit image)
commands
Range of dot densities
from 60 dots/inch to 240,
The speed of printing
varys between 3 to 10
inches a second,
Print enhancement
commands
Emphasised
Double-Strike (D)
Superscript
f'igure I
Amstrad User April 86 Page 33
j
REVIEW
I
- ..
■.-. v'-'v rrt vv"!-0"^ rm"w m "i i" I* «Vi ^ v m "i w i"rt ■! V I* ro wv ri-i V sv 0"^ > V ro"^ ■"■Vi V*^ O"^ ^ ^
■ i: 1 ■ 6 ^ j"' c : •-
•'"■'■‘O'" -^'O.■-
technical difficulty but I found it a great disappoint¬
ment.
One of the most frustrating problems to people not
acquainted with printers, is the way in which control
codes are sent to a printer in order to choose a style of
print. This at the best of times is confusing and can be
quite a problem if the software being used doesn't allow
for some easy method of sending these codes. The FX-85
allows styles of print to be chosen from the printer using
SelecType. This in itself is a novelty and is a very
welcome development of the FX printer.
SelecTVpe makes use of the three buttons on the top
right hand side of the printer. These buttons have dual
purposes and are marked as follows:
(a) OFFLINE/ONLINE
(b) FF/NLQ
(c) LF/DRAFT
When the printer is ONLINE, pressing the NLQ or
DRAFT button will select that particular mode of print.
This is very straightforward and an easy way of selecting
the quality of print required. Also it negates the need to
send a control code from the computer. Selecting other
type styles however is not as simple.
To enter the SelecType facility requires the ONLINE
and FF/NLQ button to be pressed at the same time. The
user can then select a choice of nine print styles. To
select style number 7 (underline), the ONLINE button
is pressed seven times. Each time the button is pressed,
the printer beeps to reassure you that you have actually
pressed a key. The function is stored by pressing the
FF/NLQ button again, then the LF/DRAFT key and
finally the ONLINE button to return the printer to
operation.
Choosing any other print style follows the same
procedure except the number of key presses is
dependant on the type selection. It gets even more
complicated if you want such exotic effects such as elite
double-strike or condensed underlined where more than
one effect is being chosen.
In principle I like the idea of SelecType. But unless
you have a photographic memory, you will always need
the manual in order to find the typestyle you require.
Considering that Epson make large use of LCD (Liquid
Crystal Display) screens in their other products, a one
line display informing the user which typestyle is being
selected, would surely have been no trouble. The lack of
visual feedback makes selection awkward and would be
so simple to implement. But for all that, it’s better than
no SelecType at all.
The user can define his own characters or modify
existing characters. This facility is only available
though in Draft mode. The design of the printer is
essentially the same as previous FX models. Above the
three control buttons are three LED lights, showing
whether the power is on, if the printer is online and ready
to print and if the printer is out of paper.
DIP switches can be easily accessed by removing the
plastic lid towards the top right of the printer. This
allows the user to change the DIP switch settings
without the need of dismantling the entire machine, as
so many other printers do. The DIP switches are an
important part of the printer as you can set up the
machine to your own specific requirements.
The manual that comes with the printer is, by printer
manual standards, good. Manuals that come with
printers are notorious for either their complexity,
inaccuracy or both. The FX-85 manual contains all the
relevant information and provides step by step
instructions. There is a handy reference card at the back
of the manual but it lacks the essential summary of
SelecType commands. A bit of an oversight. The
manual la not great but it's better than most.
My experience with the FX-85 was marred by only one
thing - loading paper into the machine, Pve never really
liked the feeding mechanism on theFX printers (though
an improvement over previous models) and Epson have
remained faithful to the FX series by keeping this quirky
system. Once understood it's manageable but like all
printers from time to time, paper gets screwed up inside
the machine. This can be awkward to remove and easier
access to the feed wheels should have been considered by
the design team.
The FX-85 uses a tractor feed mechanism but for a
very limited width of paper (242 to 254mm wide). To use
fanfold paper of a narrower width, like labels, an
optional tractor mechanism must be purchased. This
seems to be a problem that was unnecessarily created.
Why on earth the built in mechanism couldn't have
allowed more flexibility in moving the width of the feed
wheels is beyond me. However it is likely that most
people will use the standard A4 size fanfold paper, which
the FX-85 (unmodified) will accept.
If you're obsessed by the problems of paper feeding,
Epson provide yet another accessory for feeding single
sheets of paper into the printer. The Cut Sheet Feeder
slots neatly on top of the machine and allows a stack of
single sheets to be fed into the printer a sheet at a time,
Once more I had problems with this unit and never
achieved IOO% results.
Overall though, the FX-86 is an admirable addition to
the FX series. It appears to be slightly quieter against
previous printers but is nowhere near as hushed as
Epson's new silent ink jet printers. This aside, the
FX-85 is a great little beast.
Combining the various print sizes, styles, enhance¬
ments, etc, gives the user a range of printing effects to
keep most of us happy. And given the odd hiccup, the
FX-85 has made me very happy. My sole ambition now
is to meet Epson's nutty professor {the one in the TV
advert and presenter of BBC2's ^The Great Egg Race)
and his mother.
The FX’85 co«ts £436 +VAT. The optional sheet feed
costs £125 -H VAT. For further details contact Epson on
ACU
Page 34
Amstrad User April 86
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■ Includes Xmodem file tranter for user to user sessions
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■ On or off line editing with professionol features.
■ full feature Videotex Terminal Emulator,
■ All common Prestel functions on single keys.
■ Togging feoture for backtracking to lorge number of
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■ Save and Load frames from current file system,
■ Full specification CET telesoftware downloader, frames
can be printed to local Econet printer.
■ Econet compotible. except remote.
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MAGIC MODEM + COMMPANION SOFTWARE
£99.95 +VAT = £114.95
MAGIC MODEM £79.95 + VAT = £91.95
LAUNCH OFFER ORDER FORM - FREE DELIVERV
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BR/NG YOUR FAMILY FORA FUN DAY OUT
If you don't likequeuing and would like to SAVE 20% please
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Page 36
Amstrad User April S6
•: TOO? :k coo : oco
REVIEWl
Last August Jill Lawson looked at a
variety of drawing packages. Since
then many new packages have become
available - how have things changed?
During the eight months or so since my assessment of
the art packages then available - when Screen Designer
marginally pipped Artwork at the post - a series of
increasingly sophisticated utilities have appeared on the
market- The advent of the light pen has brought devices
tanging from the (dare I say) tidiculous, to the fibre
optic based Dart iightpen which I found great fun* but
the "draw everything in pastel colours^^ limitation (see
VAX review - ACU March 1986) would preclude my
using it regularly as an artistic tool.
1986 sees us entering an era of icons and pull-down
menus, graph pads and mice, in a bid to find quicker,
easier methods of colouring each of the thousands of
pixels that make up a screen display so that the end
result is an acceptable image.
Just as the line-and-wash artist would not choose to
work in oils and the draughtsman would eschew pastels,
(I prefer the blackcurrant ones ~ Ed) the needs of each
potential screen designer will vary, I can appraise the
following programs only on a basis of their suitability to
producing as near a photographic representation of a
subject as the resolution of the CPC range will presently
allow.
Rembrandt - from Beebugsoft
by S. Potter
Rembrandt comes with a glossy 17-page manual which
takes you step by step from loading, through simple
drawing commands, to more advanced techniques by
means of clear, easily understood instructions. Ail
operations are selected from three banks of eight icons,
each of whose functions are explained in the order they
appear on-screen. This is fortunate, since my copy
lacked the promised summary of icons in section 8 -
perhaps that is going on page 18.
This program is usable in all three modes on the CPC
464, 664 and 6128 computers and will work with
keyboard or joystick. Instructions are given for saving
Designer still top
screen®, to disc or tape and for their use in your own
programs.
It may take two or three sessions to become familiar
with all the available drawing features. Selection is
made with the Esc and Tab keys, cursor movement is
controlled with the arrow keys and execution with the
space bar. The cross hair cursor can be speeded up by
pressing Shift or slowed with Ctrl, Tab and Shift give
the current coordinates.
Plotting lines, circles, rectangles, polygons and
horizontal-based triangles all use the rubber-band
principle, enabling accurate regulation of size and
position. Single colour solid boxes and circles can be
drawn, overwriting any previous work in normal Ink
Mode. The AND, OR and XOR Ink Modes can be used
for special effects where new lines, filled boxes and the
like overwrite only parts of the existing drawing - a
facility with enormous possibilities if one has time to
explore it to the full.
The Fill is a joy to use. Perhaps not the fastest Tve
known, but efficient, and with the option to Unfili if it
[51
isi
[ _ ^ _ _ _
Rembrant uses ftimple icons
Amstrad User April 86
PageJ7
A Rembrant still-life
escapes or you just don^t like the effect. The two-colour
Stipple Fill gives a range of 10 possible colours in Mode
Ij and if you don’t like a solid edge to your stippled area,
you can draw and fill in a solid colour, then over-fill with
the desired stipple.
Single Pixel Plot can be achieved in either the
variable width Freehand Draw or Line modes, but there
is a Magnify, in which any small area (40 x 24 pixels in
Mode 1) can be blown up to fill the whole screen for
detailed work, I found the keys a little sluggish in this
mode, sometimes failing to plot a pixel at the first
attempt. Since each one must be fixed by pressing the
space bar, dealing with large areas is very slow.
Also, given the choice, I would have preferred that it
should increase twice the area to half the magnification,
since it is easy to lose your bearings when a complex
section of the drawing becomes just a mass of huge
coloured squares. Still, Fm not going to knock it, since
any Magnify is better than none. By plotting in the
background colour, small areas can be erased within this
mode, while larger areas can be removed with filled
boxes.
A variable-size Airbrush will spray random dots if
moved around, or try staying in one position while
changing colours to produce some nice little six-petalled
flowers.
A useful Scroll allows the whole picture to be moved,
one pixel at a time, in any direction, and selecting Grid
enables cursor movement to be changed to jumps of
between one and 32 pixels.
Standard Text and UDGs can be placed anywhere on
the screen, but no variation of size or style of text is on
offer. A Cut and Paste option enables a part of the
picture to be copied or moved elsewhere on the screen,
but because this is restricted to a fixed-size area similar
to the Magnify box, 1 would find it of limited use except
at an early stage in a drawing.
The program also includes a screen dump to the
Amstrad DMP 1 and Epson printers, giving a fully
shaded result.
Conclusion
A nicely presented and documented program offering a
fair number of the options one might hope for in a 1986
graphic utility, but with room for improvement in the
areas mentioned - Magnify, Text, Cut and Paste. It is
Page 38
GrafPad pictures are difficult to
from your omn programs
perhaps surprising that there is no facility to design
one*s own graphics.
A good, reasonably priced utility suitable for moat
types of drawing, and the only new one designed for use
in all three screen modes, it should meet the needs of
moat screen artists, although for very intricate detailed
drawing Screen Designer at ill has the slight edge with its
quarter screen magnify and ease of plotting.
Rembrandt
Price £13.95 on tape £16.95 on disc. Available from
Beebugsoft, PO Box 109, St Johns Road, High
Wycom be, Bucks, HPIO 8NP.
Grafpad 2 Art from Micro-Draw
The Grafpad is a 235cm x 360cm board with attached
pen and an interface that plugs into the expansion port,
on your Amstrad computer. For CPC 464 owners this
means tape-only operation and picture save and load,
which can be very time consuming.
A 14-page manual sets out the various functions
available under headings showing the icons which
appear on the pad around the edges of the drawing area.
These are laid out in such a way that the left-handed
operator would find them almost impossible to use.
Instructions could have been more detailed in some
sections and more stress should be laid on the precise
method of holding the pen, since it is possible to hold it
near the base in such a way that the device is well-nigh
unusable.
Grafpad 2 operates in Mode 1 only. Colour selection is
via four boxes at the top of the pad, and changing the
four colours to any from a choice of 27 is simple. The
drawing area makes use of most of the screen, with a
two-line message pad at the foot. A GCOL feature is
similar to the logical plotting in Rembrandt.
The regular cursor is a solid, non-flashing cross hair. I
would have liked a hole in the middle to facilitate single
pixel plotting. A full cursor will give you horizontal and
vertical lines right across the screen, crossing at the
current drawing point - useful for lining things up
correctly.
All modes are selected by pointing the pen at the
appropriate icon and pressing the E button on the left
side of the pad. Each operation is terminated by
Amstrad User April 86
0J.:-a
I
The AMX U Iwst for technical drawing
. * . titt can be us erf for detailed artwork
pointing at the Off box and pressing E.
You will need a fairly steady hand to draw freehand
but the Solid Line mode is easy to use and each offers a
choice of several Line thicknesses. Circle displays the
radius rather than the finished circle before final
positioning, and Ellipse shows a diamond shape which is
difficult to relate accurately to the actual ellipse. But
Square* Rectangle and Triangle are straightforward, the
latter being particularly pleasant to use. Solid versions
of triangles, circles* squares and rectangles can be
drawn. Polygons are available and can be moved around
before positioning.
Spray mode has eight different patterns but you 11
need a bit of practice to achieve the desired results* and
it behaves a little oddly near the left-hand edge of the
screen.
The Eraser function presents probably one of the most
advanced features in this package. The ^ize of eraser
varies from one pixel upwards and it rubs out only one
colour at a time. This is really useful if you want to use
construction lines in a different colour - it is so easy to
remove them when the drawing is completed*
In contrast, the Fill is diabolical! In addition to solid
colour fills there are two banks of assorted patterns
which can be rotated through 90, 180 and 270 degrees -
such a waste, when filling is difficult, operating in an
upwards direction only from the cursor position (V
shapes require very accurate initial placing). Complex
shapes need many fills, and if you get it wrong - disaster!
Admittedly you can stop the fill by hitting Escape - but
this does not remove what has already been drawn*
making you doubly grateful for the efficient rub out
model
Text can be positioned anywhere on-screen, and the
angle can be changed with up and down arrow keys,
Standard, large, bold, backward and forward italics give
a wide choice of sizes and styles. A coloured tail is a
further option, but for anything other than standard
upright it can be hard to estimate just where it will
appear* since you don’t see the other styles before
printing.
There is a facility to draw horizontal and vertical lines
of a given thickness, a x2* x4, x8, x 16 and x32 grid* an
option to create a graphics window and two menus of
in-program icons which can be placed anywhere
necessary. The accompanying Icon Generator program
enables the user to design other icons for his own
purposes.
Pictures can be dumped to Epson MX* FX or
compatible printers by selecting the P icon - so long as
the interface doesn't get in the way when trying to
connect the printer cable! No information is given on
whether or not screen designs may be incorporated in
your own programs* There is no Magnify facility.
Conclusion
If your eyesight is good, your hand steady and you’re not
given to tearing out your hair when a careless fill loses
you your last three hours work, or if you’re a CPC 464
owner happy to use cassette-based software or if you’re a
CPC 6128 user who doesn't mind having to load the
program twice and and you're not left-handed, then
Grafpad 2 does have a lot of very interesting features -
some exclusive to this utility. Change that Fill, include
an option to Unfill* and for all but the south-paws it just
might be worth spending all that money.
Gmfpad 2
Price £69 on tape £75 on disc (including pad and
interface), Availabk from Graf sales, Unit 8, Carey
PlacSf Watford, Herts, WDl 2LR.
AMX Mouse and AMX Art from AMS
The AMX Mouse is easily connected to your computer
via the joystick port, drawing its power from the
monitor, and can be left in place while the machine is
used for other purposes* You’ll need a flat surface on
which to operate the mouse - if your desk doesn’t run to
sufficient space (and mine doesn’t!) a small board on
your knee will do. Once AMX Control is loaded you are
asked if you wish to load AMX Art, and pressing Y
automatically puts you in drawing mode.
Layout of the art screen is quite complex - four
pull-down menus are listed on a bar across the top of the
screen and a scrollable window on the right shows icons
to determine modes and spray sizes. A similar window
on the left displays at any one time seven of the 32 black
and white patterns available* with the current pattern in
a box at the foot. These windows are not removable* so
the drawing area is considerably smaller than the total
screen size. The background colour is always iffhite, and
the pattern file can be used only in black ink* but a
Amstrad User April 86
Page 39
REVIEW
Pattern Designer is provided to allow the user to design
and use new patterns.
Operating the mouse is simplicity itself - just three
buttonst Execute, Move and Cancel - and once you've
sussed out the fact that the illustration in the manual is
of AMX '"through the looking glass*', you’re on your
way. Apart from one other small error in the
circle-drawing instructions, the manual h clearly
written and easily understood.
It ^es you through explanations of each of the
functions on the file, options, text and lines pull-down
menus, and the purposes of the mode icons. The cursor
changes form according to the icon selected and may
appear as a pencil, a spray gun, a block, a paint roller or
a cross hair, which serves as a reminder of your current
mode.
Freehand drawing, single pixel plot and rubber-ban¬
ded line drawing are handled in Pencil mode. Any of the
32 patterns may be sprayed with the spray gun, in 12
sizes (spots, blocks, mist and so on). The small-dot size
can be used for freehand sketching. Rubber enables
erasure in any of the spray sizes. The paint roller may be
used to roll-on a pattern, in painting.
With the Fill option any of the patterns can be used to
fill an area almost instantaneously, and pressing the
Cancel button will remove it just as quickly.
Boxes, solid boxes and circles of variable size can be
drawn and text can be added in a variety of styles and
sizes. Using a rubber-banded box, any area of the screen
can be picked out and copied to a new position. Gridlock
gives the user the option to move the cursor in 1, 2, 4, 8
and 16 pixel steps.
Operating only in screen Mode 1, a further two colours
from a palette of 27 may be added to the drawing. Lines
and boxes may be drawn in either Pen 2 or Pen 3,
inverted, or in white. In Fill mode you may select a Paint
option whereby the pattern window will change to show
a selection of hatches, some using all four colours, which
may be chosen to fill an area of the screen in the same
way as the patterns, but there is no option to redesign
them.
If criticism was to be made of the artistic potential of
this program, it would be that it is primarily designed to
execute drawings in black on a white background, and to
have colour added as an optional extra, rather than as a
multicolour painting tool.
However, to a great extent this is counteracted by the
excellent Zoom which magnifies the area within a box to
eight times its size while still allowing you to see the
magnified area on the original drawing. Any of the pixels
within the box may be altered to another colour, and the
box itself can be scrolled across the screen.
If you have used another art program you may find
that you have to adopt a different approach to creating a
picture, but, once you have mastered the use of this very
nice feature, you are limited only by the fact that two of
the colours on your palette must be black and white*
The program is not, however, without its minor
irritations* Once Save is selected you must go ahead as
there is no way of cancelling this option, and I managed
to lock up several hours work by accidentally trying to
save to a write-protected disc.
Going directly from line draw to fill produced a
Page 40
corrupt c ursor with which T could erase the border of the
drawing area, and inexplicably I left the odd coloured
box behind when zooming while drawing with a coloured
pen.
Pictures may be dumped to an Epson printer, and I
believe they may be used in your own programs* Of
course they will not fill the whole screen but will appear
with a white border.
Not the perfect utility, since it would have been nice to
have the whole screen area available for drawing.
Anyone looking for ellipses, triangles, filled circles,
polygons, and any other special features could be
disappointed, but - excepting those little hassles 1 have
mentioned - a very nice, sophisticated drawing package
which is easy to use and well presented. You get an Icon
Designer program too, and the manual contains much
information on other uses for the Mouse.
Which one should you buy?
These are three very different drawing aids, each with
features that were very pleasing and each with room for
improvement. If you don*t have too much money to
spend then Rembrandt provides an excellent basic
picture designer at a very reasonable price, and it is the
only one of the three which allows you to use all three
screen modes.
Graf pad 2 seems overpriced with the present software
which offers a lot of distinctive characteristics but also
has some serious drawbacks.
If you can live with the colour, mode and screen size
limitations then the AMX Mouse is possibly marginally
the best buy if price is not a prime consideration, but 1*11
probably just carry on using Screen Designer until 1 see
what else comes along!
Rembrandt
Grafpftd2
AMX Mouse
General ease of use
9
10
Speed
7
6
9
Special features
6
9
9
Freedom from
problems
9
0
7
Artistic potential
10
8
9
Value for money
10
6
9
Overall
assessment
9
7
9
ACU
Amstrad User April 8fi
AMX Mouse
Price £69,95 (including mouse and interface). Available
from Advanced Memory SyStemSf Freepost, Warrington
WA4 lER,
Conclusion
BOOKS FOR YOURAMSTRAD
Uncterstanding & Expanding Your
Amstrad 464,664 & 6128
ALAM TREVENNOR
tarting wth an easy tiut in-deptti aprxoacti to under&tanairiQ
/ x / now the Am^traa computefs and Z80 Dtocessof vrork. even
/___y those with little electronics knowseoge wtll be able to get to
grips with all the important pieceeof hardware.
With this knowledge - plus some inexpensive comporwits - excidng
projects can be undercaken. A speech synthesiser, expanslo-n ROM board
and a 4-channef RS 232 interface are introduced and - for the more
adventurous - a complete eprOm programmer and a local area network
for office, factory or school. Software to drive each project is included in
ttie book and Assembiy language progrannming is introdix^ed with many
examples, The complete kits described in each project, made by Halsted
Designs, are readiiy available if you need them-
To be published March 320 pages £8.95
Practical C for the Home Micro
MARK HARRISDW
j ' /c programming course leading up to the most advanced
j A j techniques, this txmk ts designed for those with no previous
experience as weJi as competent C programmers wanting to get
the most out of the language.
Building on an Introductjori to C,. the reader is offered clear guidance
through C syntax, declarations, data types, program flow, program
development, structured programming techniques, functions, arrays,
strings, preprocessor commancts and much, much more,
The author's library of C procedures includes screen handlers, report
generators, menu control and database routines.
Practical C for the Home Micro is fully approved by mSOFT, a leading
UK supplier of tne c-language
Febru 3 ry 19B6 ieO pages £?,9S
Amstrad Graphics
The Advanced User Guide
ROBERT RAM50M
Amstrad CPC: computers (464,664 and 612S) are ideally suited
/ / for graphics work, This book shows how they can be u&ed to best
__i effect, with the emi:^asfs on more advanced and exciting
appiicadons.
A full range of sample programs and routinesooveringa wide range of
graphics techniques is included. The programs are highly original and
useful, especially those for Icon-oased designs, mctecular drawings,
three-dimensional drawings and such creative techniques as the use of
fractals to produce imaginative effects. There is also a section on
business graphics, whicn Includes pie charts, graphs, and two and three-
dimensiohat bar-charts.
December 1985 2 50 pag« £T.95
The Amstrad Disc companion
SIMON WILLIAMS
he Amstrad Disc companion introduces the new user to the
j I j vvorld of disc computing on the Amstrad micros and provides
L^J esser^tial information to help the seasoned user to get the most
from AMS DOS and CP/M on the 6i28,664 and 464 (with disc driver
There are 7 main sections: Using AMSOOS and CP/M commands and
utilities: CP/M programming aids - ED; ASM; DDT; PIP, Machine code
developrTwit using mSOFT's 2!B0 editor; assembler and monitor;
Programming languages, including Dr LOCtO and hisoft Pascal ao;
Business application programs including T AS WORD 464, MlCROSPREAD;
MASTER FILE 464; Using sequential files.
TO be published March 250 pages £7,95
Mastering the Amstrad PCW 8256
Word Processing and Personal Computing
JOHN M HUGHES
jrY^f ^ Amstrad B256 is a powerful machine, with far more potential
/ / / than is appar0it at first g^nce of the user manual.
L_±l/ This book gives readers a thorough grounding in word processing
techniques and then goes on to show how the 5256 can revolutionise
even the smallest office and bring word proc^^sing into the home for
less than the cost of a mid-range typewriter
You'll find advice on care and use of diskettes., security and other
fundamentals; a tutorial on word processing illustrating just about every
9256 command with quick reference sections; using the SuperCaic 2
spreadsheet — a powerful system for numericai calculations and
financial planning; using the recently announced aatabase packages to
Store ana retrieve information — e.g. for stcx:k control or mailing lists, a
guide to other packages includir^ payroll and accounts systems; using
CP/M Plus the operating system provided wsth the 8256; installation
of CP/M packages, including MewWord, the new WordStar style word-
processing package. Is also covered.
To be published March 210 pages £8,95
CP/M; The Software Bus
A Programmer's Companion
A. CtAPKE, J.M. EATON, D. POWYS-LYBBE
WO years ago CP/M: The Software Bus - A Programmer's
Companion was published. Since then it's sola thousands of
copies and is stocked by bookseliers and computer dealers alike.
Now that's not news. But,,, what is news is that Amstrad have given the
book a dramatic r>ew lease of life. Being able to useCP/Mon tne Amstrad
means that a lot of Amstrad owners need a reliable and thorough
companion text.
The book Amstrad have chosen to recommend to their customers is
Andrew Cferkes CP/M; The Software Bus - A Programmer's
companion.
Written by founder members of the UK, CP/M User Group, it runs to 332
pages telling dearly and cojyciseiy how to use CP/M to its best advantage
AH the i mporta ntcommandsand options ln the mai n versionsof CP/m (1.4.
2.2, 3.1. or CP/M Piusi are discussed with detailed examples of their use.
The major sofbivare tools are also described and each has a helpful ’quick
reference' gu ide There are practical hints and tips for progra mmers a t ail
levels, and each chapter has a 'fundamentals' section to help the really
new user.
cx:roberi9a3 332 pages £9.95
Powerful Programming for Amstrads
Supercharge yoLir 464/664/6128
WILLIAM JOHNSON
fPpPj his is an Amstrad bcok which shows you how to create dean and
/ / efficient programs. Many of the topics - for example, 2-3 trees.
va na bie size nested loops, ma trix mani pgiations - a re exclusive to
this book, enabling you to apply professional techniques to nr^ny of
your Drograms.
containing subroutines concerned with data input and retrieval, and
techniques for solving equations, generating data, handling complex
numbers, matrices ano determinants, tne Dook is ideal for advanced
Amstrad computer users, students and programrrers with specific
problems to solve and concepts to learn.
Illustrations cover crystal shapes, 3-0 movement representation,
automatic control system stability and permutations, making the best
use of the Amstrad features. Video RAM maps are explained dearly -
essential for peek and poke operations.
To be published Februa ry 2GO pages £6.95
]]
Please ask for these books at any bookseller or good computer dealer. He will be pleased to help you.
if this Is difficult or plain impossible, please write to LesleyVaientine, John Wiley 8. SonsLtd., FREEPOST,
Baffins Lane, Chichester, West Sussex P019 1VP, England, enclosing your cheque made out to
John Wiley & Sons Ltd; quoting your credit card number and its expiry date; or asking us to send
YOU an invoce for prepayrrient.
SIGM A
PHESS ■
j.'.j
i- ^
KEYBOARD ^
TUTOR
This comprehensive packsge
lakes YOU from the first
steps of rote recognition to
0 comprefiensi'irB catalogue
of chord types and their
inversions.
Eventualiy allowing you to
build up tO' your own miusic
masterpiece. A must for
those Wishing to understand
the basics of music.
DISK EIZ.9S >
BANSHEE
An epic Irish adventure.
Can you save Colleen
from the evif clutches
of the Banshees, find
the treasures of Ireland
end make good your
escape.
Over 200 locations.
DISK £12,95
.j.
t-. '
•: ‘0»jv. A-
. ly - :'::cr
MYSTERY
VOYAGE
Shipwrecked and left
alone in the vast
openness of the ocean
You visit strange
islands and find
yourself in worlds of
mystery and fantasy.
200+ locations.
DISK £12.95
p'iwA
.O'
..._.A i. '■/ y
-ij-
....v.o.^...^
■O'^ I?
isai ^ .
^ i -S-S
tiy?'-'
'; V
Unit 7, Highfield Industrial Estate, Ferndale
Rhondda, Mid-Glamorgan, S. Wales.
Reg. Trade Mark
Telephone: Tonypandy 435709
Pago 42
Am&trad User April 86
REVIEW I
Romboard rivals!
Vax looks at a solution when the chips are down
Honeysoft ROM Board
“Review this ROM board for me will you?^\ Review it?
You don’t review ROM boards^ you plug ROMs in them.
Well, this one is sufficiently different to rate a review. It
differs from most other boards in two respects; it plugs in
to the top of a Maxam board and it only costs twelve
quid*
It ail comes in a little white box labelled “Honeysoft
ROM board^* (logical eh?), Tliis box contains a manual
and the S'* x 4"^ ROM board.
The board contains four sockets, four sets of links^ four
capacitors and four resistors. Hence only twelve quid.
The manual contains adequate instructions on the
setting up of the board and warns the user against
plugging or unplugging the board with the power on, and
stirring cups of hot chocolate with it* The manual Is
however excellent for standing said hot chocolate on*
The board takes either 8k or 16k ROMs, but they must
have an access time of 20()ns or better. Unfortunately,
different manufacturers have different ideas of what
200ns is. Some NEC ROMs claiming to be 200tis did not
work in any ROM board* Utopia^ Maxam and the
Micropower Toolkit all worked fine in it though.
The ROM numbers are selected by swapping small
plastic links. These now have a small plastic tail on
them to assist extraction* The old ones were almost
impossible to extract with the unaided fingernail and
tended to be converted into short-range ballistic
missiles when prized out with a screwdriver.
The ROMs can be numbered between 0 and 6* ROM 7
is reserved for the disc ROM because Amstrad got there
first. This looks like a good point to show some of the
more common locations for ROMs:
ROM
0
1
2
Usual Inhabitants
BASIC
3
—
4
—
5
Maxam
6
SIOROM
7
Disc RDM
Now you see why there are only four ROM sockets*
On a 664 or a 6128 you can have 16 ROMs altogether,
but not with this board. This tends to result in a ROM
getting logged on twice. All is not lost, you use the
Maxam ROMOFF command to nobble the extra one.
Some ROMs are smart and know when they have been
wound up*
The only fault I could find with this board was that the
ROM sockets did not contain the usual notch which tells
you which way up the ROMs go. As the manual tells you
which way round they go anyway, this is not much of a
fault. If you have a Maxam and need a ROM board, 1
have no hesitation in recommending this one, especially
if you have a fetish for hot chocolate. Still, let’s see what
one of the opposition has to offer.
The Britannia ROM Board
This is going to impress a few people, mainly because it
has a flashy, colour printed carton and a plastic box
Amstrad User April 80
Page 43
REVIEW
holding all its electronic guts in. Unfortunately, this is
about all it does have going for it.
First step is always to read the instructions (yea,
well.. .), if you can find them. Their instructions are
printed in English, French, Italian and German {wot, no
Esperanto?) on the sides of the box. Yes folks, all the
instructions are crammed in a 2^ by 6'^ area.
The instructions do not tell you how to plug the gizmo
into the back of your 464, 664 or 6128. Do you need to be
told? Yes, you do - because the device has a very long
ribbon cable coming out of it which has two sockets on
the end of it as well as a through bus coming out of the
side.
Knowing a bit about the Amstrad RS232 interface, I
guessed that the first socket should have an adapter in it
for the disc drive. The reason why you don*t plug the disc
drive into the through bus is that the 464 and its kind do
not appreciate long cables, hence the adapter.
All this would not have been so bad if the connectors
were keyed. As things stand, it is easy to plug in the unit
the wrong way round. The Honeysoft connector is not
keyed either, but the instructions for that one tell you
which way is up.
Next we have to put in some ROMs. The instructions
waffle a bit about the foreground and background ROMs
and then tell you to put any foreground ROM in socket
one. Now the clever bit: They have not numbered the
sockets. They tell you in the instructions what is what,
so don't lose the box and ignore the bit of PCB track that
just happens to look like a one and is next to socket six.
Which way round do they go? Well, the instructions
say that the notch goes on the left. The sockets are not
marked as with the Honeysoft board, and the other chips
on the board go every' which way so don't use them as a
guide. After fitting your ROM, you must change a
dip-switch and then put the lid back on. Flicking these
switches is somewhat easier than fiddling with the
Honeysoft links as the dip switches are numbered.
The instructions also mention ROM cartridges, which
can be plugged in to the back to expand your machine to
**untold limits”. Anyone with a firmware manual can
tell you that this previously untold limit is 252 ROMs.
Unfortunately, I have never seen an expansion ROM of
this type, nor have I seen one of the cartridges. I am
inclined to think that this idea is a non-starter. A case in
point - when did you last see a Spectrum ROM
cartridge?
Synopsis
If good looks alone counted, the Britannia offering would
probably win. They don’t though, and the Honeysoft
board wins my vote, even if you do need a Maxam or
Protext board to use it. For non machine-code hackers
who don't know what a Maxam is, the Britannia board is
no worse or more expensive than any of the other
run-of-the-mill-units. The Honeysoft ROM board is
available from Circuit (0992) 444111. The Britannia
board costs £42.50 details from Britannia on (0222)
481135.
bOflD
«RUN
THE AMSTRAD
SPECIALISTS
LOAD & RUN, ^
DEPT.ASU
P.O. BOX 123
OARTFORD
OA1SAA
RING (0322) 73128 FOR ENQUIRIES + LATEST RELEASES
We are coritir>jing our policy of '85 into ’86 with this selection from over 400 items in out list.
GAMES
CASSETTE RRP
Barry .
Blmkhiatut. £7.95
Aajaiftton Port Stinlev .
Run .
Bquuiv Bob' SiriiK Back f B.BS'
ftnj[»Ua . fB.BS
Chuckle Egg 11. CT.B5
Qtly ThDin^n's SupertEil . EB.B&
QopplHangar. EB.BB
RgnlarnBiriQr .. EB.B&
(jmriiiBtt Strong Mun.. eb.bb
Glfnn lipddi* Swcer. CB.B5
&|(iii5CDpa ... fft-BS
Harbtfl's Dumtrrv Hun fB-Bt
Myperspwls. f B-BS
Highway Encnuntar . CB.BS
Man«n . CB.B5
WatXbay . C7.35
Miirdihaduw . .f B-BEi
SwBtvD'a World . EB.B&
Raid lD#r Mnum . C9.B&
SibwWotl . E7.95
S!rang!l*»p ,. EB.95
SpyviSjFir . £9.9S
TTialCi^iclor . £9.95
ntpWnrmiin Paradiia . £9.95
TtiByauIrtaMillHn . £9.95
Tim Lavas Clkiul . £9.95
World S«Tin eaiabal . £9.95
Ya'AfKiingFa .. £9 95
&ISC RRP
JDGroNPn*.£13.95
B(*^haad. .... ..£ll95
Bru£*L« .£H.95
CwprilltHilse . -- £14.95
0U(t
PHICI
EB.4S
EB.45
£-945.
£6.45
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£6.B6
CJ.45
£7 45'
£9.96
£B.96
£B4&
£7.35
£6.B5
£9.45
£B.75
£545
£7.B6
£6.36
C6.E5
fG.95
£3.45
£4.95
£6.95
£9.45
£9.55
£7.5Q
£7.45
£745
PfllCE
£10.95
£11.95
£13.95
£12.95
CASSEOE
RHP
OUR
PRICE
Hiylvwq^ EnMPUiar .
.£1P.95
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JamiTHn . .
.£iiss
£19.95
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..£14.95
£12.96
RadArrawj ..
.£12.95
f 16.95
SaialliltA'Brripr .
. ElS.flS
£10.95
Scrahbla .
. £1455
£12.95
TIib Smut RtapaOut ...
.£13.95
£9.99
T1iav9«ldBM>lliDn.
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£11.95
Triplq PadlAlligaia] ..
. £12.95
£10.95
Mrihplar.
.£11.95
£10-.45
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RRF
OUR
PRICE
CbvbedI Doom
£1.99
£1.B5
Ctiimera .
. £3.95
£3.51)
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.. £2.99
£2.75
fiannijdB 1 .
. £1.99
£t.B&
QMiiQu*il ..
. £4.95
£436
SwIuFiRDbat .
. n.B9
El .65
Cylu .
. £3.95
£3.50
ADVENTURE/STRATEGY
CASSETTE
HRP
QUR
PRICE
Aribiin Knifht¥ .
. £6.96
£5.60
BB(tl««l Ofiinn .........
. £9.95
£8.45
OtullIrqiTi .......
. £9.95
£6.95
Chaaps .
. £8.95
£7.46
DnuEllCFwH .....
Ellicn ..
. £9.95
£8.45
£8.95
£7.75
Nnar Ending Slaiy
. £9.95
£8.45
OaaS'iTFBlDird
. f&.t5
£8.45
Snuttiara Salli. ...
. £7.95
£6.50
Hi a Bom- ...
. £fl.t5
£5.95
Tombslawna ..
.. £B..95
£5.9 5
DISC
RRP
Dun
PRICE
Cyrus II Chtfl .. ..
.£13.95
£1 9.95
Lo^s uF MidnigM ..
£13.95
£11.95
UTILITIES
OEin
CASscni
RRP
PRIEE
Alipnnianl Kil (Rdbocamil
.... . £4.96
£445
AnraDPSI .
.E4.99
£4 59
Gaiwis .
.£9.95
£8.25
Kistifl Lanquapa.
. £34.95
£31.95.
HTuffl (Arnwl
. ... £19.96
£1595
Prntfljd (Arnorl .
.fl 9.96
£19 95
flamhrandl .
.£13.95
£11.95.
Tatpdl .
.£1 B.5D
£13.95
TTralllultrlHF .
..El 0.95
£13.30
Oisg
Hiiflict'Languaq* .
..E39.95
£35.95
lAmnr) .
. £20 95
£21.95
.
.£39.95
£35.95
Fmrtnt lArnqi).
. £20 95
£21.95
Rapbnndl .
. £1995
£14.95
T»wDrd6123 .
.£2495
£21.95
DOCKS
PleasE «riquirt l&rgBst DFC rjnga in
ALL DL^DBLUyTED
UX
PCW 8258
OUR
SAGE
RHP
PRICE
Pnpular A[»ur»1a .
.£99.99
£79.95
Rnpular ArM»un1a+ .
.£14939
£129.95
Pnpvlar liiiKiiirinq .
. £B9.99
£59.95
Papular ParyTaFI .
. £89.99
£59.95
Ghrl Chad .
.PlBB»iifig POlP
OUH
CAXtOli
Card Bd!i .
RRP
.£99.99
PRICE
£79.95
Tnnrfi'n' Go.
.£24.95
£20.95
Briinftarm ..
.£49.99
£39.95
Sman Kay..
.£49.99
£39.95
SwlettfaiJ .
..PteaiB ring PD^
Su|nri:Blr:II ..
.£43.06
£39.36
HARDWARE
QUR
RRP
PRICE
RRP
A.HX M»uep.
£63.96
£0696
PCW8256 .
£466.55 £433.96
£12.00
3" Di« (Amouftl.
£4.98
£4.25
C16ei3iil(TipaKl0ri ...
£4.00
£3.75
CLI li;iE<nl'liEa laaj|!l
£3.35
£3.25
CPC4fl4lCnlMjrk'| ...
£393 00 £267.00
£12.00
CPC464 jlytonnjn . .
£199.00 E163.DD
ElO.dO
CPC912B1(k]lour1 .
£399.00 £377.00
£12.00
[;PC612B1hhni].l .
£299.00 £267.00
£12.00
OD11 aUFiviif*] .
£159.95 £155.45
£2.59
DL2 l664d'drrvtFn4l
£0.95
£5.65
DMP 1 PiirrbP Rjbbnn
£0.50
£5.46
DF4F 1 Ptintf^r) .
£169.06 £155.35
£3.60
DF4P2BDD .
£F 59.95 £146.95
£0.00
Fai Addtnlrjg'drivarf....
£99.95
£95.95
£2.00
jV2 Jayitich ..
£H,96
£9.95
UP 1 Unlit Pen .
£19.36
£16.36
MPl Si2 PSUfiFMOOri
£29.95
£24.96
£2.06
PLl Prinier Cihia.
£9.95
£7.95
iRS232 int'Fiu ,,
£49.95
£45.95
£1.08
S^SAI ^PHcKjymhri ..
£29.95
£25.95
£1.00
3" Dist j. 10 .
Only £37.95
ALSO « .tL pradiiirta by KDS. Cunran*.
DKTrDnii:a a olliarf
Lr>EkaA ^ital Oiv: Rqk .SpidtIOffaf £16.50
A 1 last a quilttr HIk Sop wt dn't aiir^ ilINny.
fcif HEXEl im hrwm ulih lAro lty$. I|h oli
covtr Md thr^t dnidaq. It will taka aiiliti
with or wllhHt cuis.
P*|Mr A LiMi. A ringe dF eiwvtinuDus paper £
kiwlt ana available isDina la Hidbf]. Plvaae send
ynur raquiriMianli and we will qucte you by
latunn
UK: All prices include VAT and P&P in UK. Add P&P in brackets for hardware.
For Europe 4 Overseas; All prices exclude VAT 8 ^ include PfirP in Europe.
Elsewhere add 50p exira for P&P hardware outside Europe add E£,50.
E.&.O.E.
Page 44
Amstrad User April 86
c
IVPBELL SYSTEMS
--1 w\ ^ ^ ^ ^ ,r"»r meCPC6-i^
21— tne um«
,21_POPiJ'^ ,,rtnoUt
tWS P{?|‘'of'fre °^’^'Sli^erm3de
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^\toiMin9 ■ jpf,ned scfeef' datS'^'^^'T'Idrong. r
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gfffffiTil®,tS
■ B M :-iB. l'^B -■■^'n-;'
i pririt vo^^
^rest are
'.
-- “r ^ 2 8
A L C J ^
^^acd'h® ?ute CP/'^banY^‘'5ad PoP^JS'
‘!~ I nnprStiO^^ *_ rn^frO^
g-i ^s
,,s..
ii or i^P^^Tad-ver^iPP we c^n.
^'^I'^nur tecW^s' ^^PK^Muritten Pui"or'9'P3'
A» ^ ^ _cr-,C2S.^5 _
, .£^H|?=i£29 95:j
I “SISIS
MBSTE?” »I r -t- MCX ■ - ■ ■ ■ .- ■ c-i’
’^'^^tIbFuI 1^® • ■ ■ ■ ail ■ ‘ .25 ■ ' ’•' ■
jBBSTER^!-'^ ,gflgiTia« ■ ■ • ., £26 25 - £54 90 P
W'^I-IrcSc • ‘ 'ArtateOrra'"^' "f.! v £« o°
Mg^lS^t/CALCUP^^'^ongina'
ra'”3S!ss\g|~?s&E“i& -»
«ei' cyST£W5
l^pBbti- - if =»
t I^EU^
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gifun vouf
’ send
I r-n"! —rTTj-AJ-^
GARWOOD
Has the Midas Touch!!
Our 'Gold Selection' Catalogue of Amstrad Business
Software & Supplies is available free on request
TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME
® Chelmsford (0245| 460788 (3 lines)
Unbeatable Service. Quality Branded Goods
CP/M Software on 3" Disc (Amstrad PCW8256 & CPC6128|
FINANCtAL MODELLING;
SUPERCALC 2 £49.95
CRACKER (with graphics] £49.00
WORD PROCESSING;
NEW WORD £69.00
WORDSTAR 3 (with Mailmerge) £99.95
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS;
CAMBASE £39.00
CARDSOX £99.99
UTILITIES;
SMART KEY £49.99
GRAPHICS;
DR DRAW £49.95
DR GRAPH £49.95
ACCOUNTS/PAYROLL;
AMSOFT ABCS (from £33] Details on
CAMSOFT (from £39.00) application
SAGE (from £69.99)
CASH TRADER £114.95
CASH TRADER WITH ANALYSER £ 149.45
COMPACT DAYBOOK £49.50
INCOMPLETE RECORDS £99.95
TIME AND COST £69,95
PROJECT PLANNING, STATISTICS;
BRAINSTORM £49.99
SCRATCHPAD £69.99
training-
touch N' GO £24.99
lANSYST TYPING CRASH COURSE £24.95
lANSYST TWO FINGERS £24.95
LOCOSCRIPT AUDIO TUTORIAL £9.95
DISCS
Branded 3" Compact Discs
Single SfdecT (reverspDfe), Double Density CF2 - Bo.jc, of lO £3^*9S Double Sided, Quad Density CF2-DD -€6.50 (subject to availabifity)
DISC STORAGE
The superD ACCO disc storage box. Holds up to 50 3" discs €19-95
RIBBONS
DiVlPI £3.95 □IVIP2000 £4.95 PCW 8256 £4.95
COMPUTER LABELS
FULL RANGE OF SIZES IN STOCK e.g. 1,000 3'// x C/,*" LABEL TRACK IN FLIP TOP DISPENSER - £5.75
LISTING PAPER
\X/F STOCK A FULL RANGE OF LISTING PAPER AT HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PRICES
e.g. 2000 Sheets of 11" x 9'4" Ipt. 60g. Plain with micro perforations £14.95
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT & POSTAGE
On Stand 52 Amstrad User Show Manchester (Z2nd/23rd March). We wifi be demonstrating
LocoScrlpt driving a daisy-wheel printerf
Our to nfppled stripper will also be performing. RI?P £11.38 but free with every Software order
over £100 taken at the show.
Garwood Software
A member of the Garwood group of companies
Registered Officer 45 Plovers Mead, \x/yatts Green, Essexc CM 15 OPS
Amstrad Business
Computing
The supplement for Amstrad Business Computer Users
Free
Aprd 1986
Volume One
Number Five
Getting inside your PCW 8256
Programming tips for the Joyce
LocoScript: Hints & Tips
Wm: Caxton Software
AMSTRAD COMPUTERS ARE EXCELLENT VALUE
NOW THEY ARE 100 TIMES
MORE USEFUL
THE AMSTRAD NETWORK
AND HARD DISC GIVES YOU:-
★ A hard disc witJ:^ more than 100 times
the capacity of 3^' discs-
★ A network allowing between 1 and over
100 Amstrad computers to be connected
to the same hard disc for sharing of
programs, information files, accounts
and word processed documents-
★ Shared high quality output from
daisywheel or laser printers.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Each 25 Megabyte Amsiore supiports file and pirirn
serving aa well lie pnnt spooler usin-g the integral
parallel printer interface-
The Amstrad network is a true token-passing
ranJts-user ring network with file locking, ma^t length
2kni., masc 125 stations. Stations include all e!ci$ting
Amstrad computers, 25 megabyte AmstoiPeSH printer
stations, IBM PC, Apricot, BBC & Apple mJcnocompufers.
The ring system supports modems, telecommunications
and mini/mainframe oomrmtnicaEions.
Files can be copied from one micro to another, even
with different computers.
Northern Computers Ltd., Churchfield Road, Frodsham,
Cheshire, WAG GRD Tel; (0928) 35700 Taiex zgsbzi mqnref q
I S^tid mu an Ametrad Raid Disc and
11 working broohiiru-
|| Narne .......
Co mpauy/OrganiEation: -.......
Address:
Position: Tel. No.
InloRded applications it known;
Word processing Q EdiUcalion
Database Q SolicilOl? □ Non© of thus© □
ComcnuciLcatlons Q SpreadstlOet Q
Q Accounts Q
^^ther proJessional applications
-.d
lABC ■ ABC • ABC ■ ABC - AB| Amstrad Business ComputinglBC ■ ABC ■ ABC • ABC • abc]
The City Page
The Amstrad bandwaggon rolls on. Turn back to the
first mention of the PC W 8256 in these pages and at the
end of the preview you will see that we suggested that
readers should check the Amstrad share price after 12
months of the PCW 8256. At that time (just last
September) it stood around 85p. At the time of writing it
is around 345p, Amstrad computer news and reviews are
now the hottest share tips in the business. Not bad for £l
a month, eh?
Whatever next?
The PCW 8256 is a hard act to follow. There are many
attempts at guessing what Amstrad may have on the
stocks for their next product. Having trodden the
cautious route of one industry standard, CP/M 80* jt
seems fair to assume that another industry standard is
in the sights of Roland Perr>' and his team.
The magic formula that has worked such wonders
thus far could well carry on, since although the industry
OTiics (remember the carping comments about an '"old
fashioned” CPflM 80 machine at the launch of the PCW
8256?) will probably dismiss anything that treads a
well-worn path* Amstrad has performed the task of
preparing their marketplace with consummate skill.
A serious business
Amid the euphoria, don't forget that Amstrad have
made the odd miscalculation here and there in the PCW
8256 project, There has been the serial interface fiasco,
and despite Alan Sugar's dismissive remark that the
interface was designed as a ‘^pundit crusher” and that
Amstrad would only sell a handful, any dealer of the
machines w^ill tell you that there are an awful lot of
pundits out there just dying to be crushed.
The delightful communications software for the PCW
8256 has been starved of custom as a result of the delay
in shipping the CPS 8256, and the wiser vendors have
only been shipping the interfaces in packages with
modems or printers. Users wanting to address external
printers have been kept waiting, and the net result has
been hassle all round*
If Amstrad are really so dismissive of anyone who
regards the machine as anything more than a typewriter
substitute, then maybe they could contract the task of
“pundit crushing” to one of the brighter add-on support
operations such as Pace — who would not only approach
the subject with a better appreciation of the customers
reQuirements, but also with the enthusiasm that is
lacking in the term “pundit crushing”*
Basic bargain
Precious few usem of Basic appreciate just what a
significant addition the Jetsam file manager on
Locomotive's Mallard Basic really is. This ISAM {index
sequential access manager) package turns Mallard into
something akin to a database authoring system,
although to read Locomotive’s dismissively dry and laid
back documentaiton, the wonder of it ail might take a
Amstrad
Business
Computing
while to sink in:
If you are one of the many PCW 8256 users who has not
yet fired up Mallard Basic to have a fiddle, you really are
missing out. Most users can create their own database
systems given a little persistence and patience -
although the gruesome line editor is a definite turn-off to
many programmers. Don't forget that NewWord or
Wordstar has a non-document mode for program editing
(saved using the Ascii save option), and that using
NewWord's “Run a program” option, basic programs
can be loaded and run “under” NewWord itself so that
swapping in and out can be very^ quick.
Even the Joyce system disc offers an alternative in the
form of RPED. It's true that the later versions of
LocoScript have an Ascii ouput modem, but since you
have to reload the operating system every time you want
to edit, and then again to run Basic, this is not actually a
practical proposition.
Spreadsheets
There are more spreadsheets available for the PCW 8256
than any other applications program. They all seem to
have their own particular appeal, although only one has
been really tailored to the hardware. ABC gave space to
Ian Searle to describe his Cracker a few issues ago. As a
result of the publicity, and the fact that Tan is the only
native spreadsheet author, he was approached by one
better informed educational authority with a wish list to
turn Cracker into the sort, of tool that would become a
tool for science students*
So instead of boring old Basic the pupils could be
taught how to apply computing, much as though a good
old fashioned slide was used. Who cares bow you print
the ink on the wood* m long as it does what you want it
to?
Ian Searle has continued to develop the Cracker
Spreadsheet. The version Cracker2 now incorporates
not only graphics, but XY graphs, date and timer
functions, and an I/O control system with user patch
area. You can thus use your PCW 8256 or CPC 6128 to
control your central heating using this program, taking
seasonal climactic variations into account. It hardly
seems fair to call all this a spreadsheet*
William Poel
III ---“
VISA
NEW^STAR SOFTWARE
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AmstradBusinessComputing ^ ■ ABC■ ABC■ ABC - ABC
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REVIEW
A hands on
experience
with Joyce
LocoScript is more
than just a freebie
word processor
which has been
bundled with a
computer to make
it easier to selU it
is an advanced
program, dedicated
to the hardware.
Mike Gerrard
looks at some of
the finer points.
The last article described some of
LocoScript^s features^ and this tiirie we’ll
concentrate on how^ some of those
features work out in practice* though to
begin with HI confuse the issue and say
that there’s no such thing as LocoScript,
Ag with many professional programs,
LocoScript is being revised and
improved constantly, and at the time of
writing I’ve seen four different versions -
1.0, 1*04* 1,1 and 1.2.
There may well be raoTe* and you can
tell which version you have because
that’s the number preceded by a v which
appears on the Loading screen as the disc
is being read into the PCW.
These updates don’t necessarily mean
there’s anything wrong with the earlier
versions. Although Amaoft will replace
the first version of LocoScript for you
because a bug makes it difficuU,
although not impossible* to use page
numbers, they are under no obligation to
provide each and every customer with
the later versions which contain one or
two features additional to those des¬
cribed in the manual.
1 know they'll be ver>^ sympathetic if
you have a particular need for one of the
added refinements* though, as my own
and friends’ dealings with them have
shown.
Ascii and reprint
There have been twx> major improve¬
ments in version 1.2 of LocoScript. The
first of these allows you to prepare an
Ascii file from any of your LocoScript
documents, which means that the text
contained in a file stands independently
from LocoScript and the file could be
passed to a third party - a typesetter, say
- who could work from it without needing
to have a copy of LocoScript to interpret
all the codes for him.
The second improvement allows you to
print out selected pages from within a
document - previously you had to print a
document from the beginning* w^hich if
you only wanted a copy of page 37 was a
nuisance ^
Now when you select the printing
option you will be asked if you want to
print all pages or some pages of the
chosen document, and the ‘"some pages”
option allows you to choose the page or
sequence of consecutive pages that you
want printed. The same applies if your
printing has been interrupted through
paper jH mming or somethin g similar, you
can choose at which point you want to
start reprinting.
But what of LocoScript generally?
Initially the large number of options
facing you at any one time seems ver>^
daunting, but you can make light work of
them by using the menus. If you are an
experienced word processor user you can
start by learning to type the various style
and emphasis codes directly into your
text.
Prom the editing screen I’m currently
on while writing this article, 1 know I can
press the f3 key for an Emphasis menu
V
ABC • ABC • ABC -ABC AB
AmsfradBusinessComputiii ^
containing four options - underline,
bold, double and reverse video. 1 can
switch them on or off by calling up this
menu and pressing the special {+] and
[-] keys either side of the spacebar.
I could also call up the master menu
containing all the options and set them
from thatj but by far the easiest way to
set these choices is by typing the
instruction direct into the text. If I want
to start underlining 1 type [ + ]ul and the
underlining starts, until I type [-]ul
when 1 want to switch it off again.
If you want a word or character
emphasised in bold, it^s quicker and
simpler to type l + |b, two key presses,
than to press move the cursor bar
down to highlight bold, then press Enter
to set the option.
If you learn to do this straight from the
start perhaps calling up the master menu
if you need to be reminded of the
appropriate abbreviations for the codes,
then you will soon make many of the
function options redundant and Loco-
Script will become much more manage¬
able.
Another reason for doing this is that
some of the function options are rather
illogically arranged. There Is a last line
marker^ for instance, which tells both
lA)coScript and the printer that this line
is the final one on the current page
(saving you from having to fill the page
up with blank lines till you get to the
bottom).
However you don’t reach this code by
pressing f5, the Lines menu, but by
pressing fS, the Pages menu. This has
been done because it is an End of page
marker, but to save you remembering
which menu contains which options get
into the habit at once of typing your
instructions directly into the text.
Forming habits
In fact habit is very important in dealing
with LocoScript. Before starting to print
out a document get into the habit of
pressing the PTR key before pressing the
P key to start printing. This allows you to
check the printer options. You can waste
a lot of time and paper if you frequently
begin printing with the wrong options
set. Bad habits are hard to break, so try
to pick up good ones with LocoScript
from day one.
Your daily working habits are veiy^
important, and here the manual seems to
have misled a few friends of mine in
attempting to explain what it refers to as
Start of day discs.
I must say that to me the manual
seems clear, but i think for the benefit of
people new to computers it should have
quickly explained how LocoScript is fed
into the PCW. Once you have inserted
and loaded your disc containing Loco¬
Script, then the program is in the
computer’s memory and you don’t need
to keep the disc in the disc drive for
LocoScript to operate.
Some people were under the impres*
sion that you had to have a copy of the
LocoScript program on each and everj^
disc you planned to use, but this is
certainly not the case and would be very
uneconomic if it were, as LocoScript
takes up about half the memory
available on one side of a disc.
Td suggest you should ignore the idea
of Start of day discs^ and simply load in
LocoScript first thing (always use your
back-up copy and keep the original
Bomew^here safe) and then replace the
disc with the disc (containing only files)
that you want to work on that day.
The main virtue of Start of Day discs
according to the manual is that they save
you the trouble of swapping discs round,
but as it take about 10 seconds at the
most to change over discs I don’t think
this is too worrying.
At the other end of the day^ don’t forget
to think about whether to take back up
copies of the discos youVe been working
on. That’s a decision for you alone to
take, but don’t automatically stick all
your discs away without ever considering
doing back-ups.
It isn't often that data gets destroyed,
but you might easily erase the wrong file
or accidentally wipe out all the files on a
disc (it’s just happened to someone I
know who’s been using word processors
for years, so don’t think it can't happen)
so imagine how you’d feel if you did lose
the data on a particular disc, Let that be
your guideline as to whether you should
take an extra copy of it or not.
Avoiding a full disc
While talking about the possibility of
losing data, it’s very important to
understand how LcKoScript works when
it is saving a file to disc.
You might fmd that you run out of
space on a disc when in t heory you should
still have plenty of memory available. If
you Ye editing a file that is, say, 15k long
and you have 16k of space left on the disc,
you might think it’s an easy matter to
add a few pages to the file, just 2-3k, and
save the new longer version of the fik.
LocoScript doe;sn’t work as simply as
that. What it does, quite sensibly, is try
to save the new version of the document
before it destroys or moves into limbo the
old version.
You would be pretty annoyed if it
destroyed the old version first and then,
due to some technical hitch, was unable
to save the new version, leaving you with
nothing. In order to do that it needs
enough space on the disc to save the
complete new version of a file, not just
the few additions you may have made to
it.
In the example given, if your file is now
I8k long, there isn’t room for it in the 16k
available on the disc, so what LocoScript
will do is save as much of it as possible
and then ask you to create some space on
the disc to allow it to save the rest.
Unfortunately you can't create the
space by moving the old version of the file
onto the RAM disc until the new version
is saved. You have to erase or move
another file.
This is usually quite straightforward,
though of course it’s always risky moving
any file into the RAM disc even for a
shortj space of time. Sod's Law ensures
that if you ’re going to get a power cut it
will happen in those precious few
seconds.
Depending on the size of the files
you’re dealing with, you might even have
to move one on to another disc to create
sufficient room to finish saving, and this
is when you discover you have no room on
any of your other discs and the only blank
one available is unformatted- Avoid this
by always keeping an eye on the memory
remaining on a disc, and bear in mind
that you might need twice as much as
initially seems likely.
Short cuts make
long delays
One habit you shouldn’t get into Is doing
things the wrong way just because it
seems simpler, or because you can’t take
the trouble to find out how to do
something the right way.
One example could be in the various
templates that LocoScript provides you
with initially. Some might almost suit
VI
Communicating with the outside worid can present its own special problems. Fortunately
hel pis at hand for Amstrad users in the form of Nightingale and Commstar.
The Nightingale modem has become the standard by which others
are judged. Combining simplicity of use with true muiti-baud rate
operation, Nightingale can provide access to both Viewdata
(1200/75 & 75./1200 baud) and full duplex (300/300 baud) systems.
Commstar is the communications software and is now aval table tor
the Amstrad m icro. Commstar is a combination of powerful Viewdata
and Terminal communications programs providing full telesoffware
downloading facilities. It is fully approved by Viewfax and features
window menus, a full eight colours, it can be used under C/PM and
is fully compatible with the Amsoft RS232 standard.
Nightingale and Commstar for use on the Amstrad CPC464,664, and
6128 are available direct from Pace or from good dealers everywhere.
Nightingale Modem £119.00 Commstar on disc
NIghtIngole, Commstar (on BOM), plus Serial Interface
Also available separately are the Terminal (Honeyterm). and Viewdata (Honeyview) programs
from Commstar at £19.95 each.
Pleoseaddcorrlogeard V.A.T,totheaboveprices. P&P(U,K.);£0.75 with Nightirtgale £2.50.
Compret^enslve (octshe&ts are available for ttiese and other Pace products.
PACE Micro T^Qhnologr
Juniper View, Ailerton Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Tel. 0274 4SB211 Telex Mo, 51338
Prestel Mailbox No. 274 729306
Telecom Gold Mailbox No. POE 001
Int. Tel. No. +44 274 488211
£29.57
£150.00
AVAILABLE AT ALLDERS ■ BOOTS ► CURRYS ■ DfXONS ^ GREENS ■ JOHN LEWtS ■ LASKVS * TANDY ■ W.H. SMITH * COMMERCIAL OFFICE EQUIPMENT - PARNELLS *
Ttie H2 key ke>'txiard is specifically desigfieci for
worciprcx-'essing. lis special iunctton ke^'S allow you
lo refer to 'pull down’ menus as you w'^ork, so you
don’t have to tneniorise complicated codes.
And the PC\V' 8256 has an integrated printer w^ith
compatible softw^are tliat gives you a choice of letter
quality^ and higti speed drafting capabilities,
Finallys there's an automatic paper load syTitem^
as well as tractor feed for continuous stationery.
-It's a powerful computer -—-
The 8256 is also a purpose built computer
with an eiiormt^us 256k menujry
R>r computer bufisi the Mallard basic, Dr Logo
and GSX Graphics system extensions will mean you
can WTite your own programs.
Al! of which puts the ordinary^ ofhctt typewTiter
firmly in iLs place.
Tfie place featured on the opposite page.
I Please send tne some rnore informatii.ni about the S’CW 3236 I
I Home user D Office user D ( Please tick) |
I Name------—— -—“
,Vidrt:HS.
Company.
Amstrad PCW8256
I j\nistrad. P.C). Box 462, Brentwood^ Essex CM 14 4EE.
Tei: (0277) 2_^222,_
1ETYCLEAN ■ OFFICE International ■ ronald martin ■ rymans * Sandhurst ■ thomas hill ■ wildings and good independent computer stores.
The electric typew^riter’s days are numbered.
Because now there's a machine that puts real
vvordprexessing power within everyone’s reach,
'The .Amstrad PCVv' 8256 is a complete word-
pnxessor and a powerful compuier in one unit.
And its imbelievtibly low^ price includes a screen
with built4n disc drive, ke\4x)ard, printer and word-
processing sof^v'are,
-— It's a complete wordproccssor --
The POT 8256 is totally equipped for w^ord-
processing, It has a high resolution screen with 90
columns and 32 lines of text.
That's 40’:^ more usable display area than most PC’s.
There s a high speed RAM disc that alkm^syou to
store and retrieve information instantaneously, as
you're creating a dexurnent.
There's also an optional combined serial and
parallel interkice that gives you access to modem,
additional printers and Other peripherals. And you
can even add an extra 1 M byte drive.
--—— Training ——-—'
The POT 8256 comes with a comprehensive user
guide that tells you, in simple language, henv to
master its w^ordprocessing and computer capabilities,
But if you want to get to grips with it even quicker,
there are now’ a great number of training courses
available throughout the country.
--— On-site maintenance —--
Amstrad computers arc exceptionally reliable.
Bui many'^ business users find it reassuring lo
kiTOw that nationwide on-site service and
maintenance contracts can be arranged.
ABC ABC ABC-ABC AB AmsfradBusmessComp^ng fe^ ABC ABC ABC ABC
your needsj so you adapt to using them
rather than be bothered to find out how
to amend them so they exactly suit your
needs.
One of the templates, for instance, has
a great number of tab settings, so you
find it esier to press the Tab key several
times to move you across the page of a
document rather than try to edit the
original template to delete some of the
unwanted tab settings.
Because there are several different
types of tab settings, you may feel it’s
going to be too confusing to learn how to
set them and to learn what each one does,
but if you think like that then you may as
well go back to using a typewriter as you
won’t get the full benefit of your word
processor.
The indent tab, for instance, is
extremely useful, allowing you to indent
a whole block of text to a particular point
across the page while retaining the
automatic word-wrap facility. Anyone
interested in writing scripts would find
this invaluable, and there wdll be lots of
occasions where you’ll want to prepare a
document which has a section indented
like that, and an indent tab is easily
brought into effect by pressing
ALT+TAB instead of TAB alone.
Headers and footers
One aspect of LocoScript that can be
confusing, partly because it seems to
operate differently from the way des¬
cribed in the early manuals, is the
Question of header and footer zone
positions. If using single sheet paper the
Amstrad allows for a maximum possible
70 lines of text on one A4 sheet.
Of this, the default settings that are in
operation when you load LocoScript are
for a header zone of nine lines and a footer
zone of seven lines. This means that on
any page the first nine lines will be blank,
or with have whatever you choose to put
as a header on each page, and the last
seven lines will also be blank, or will
contain whatever you choose to have at
the foot of eveiy page. The text of your
document will appear on the 54 lines
in-between.
’Phese header and footer zones are very
generous, and do give you a well spaced
page with healthy margins ail round, but
if you want to squeeze more information
on each page then don't be afraid to alter
them to suit yourself - they’re only
suggested settings after all.
What you must be careful of, though,
are the two settings marked position on
the Page size menu, selectable from the
options available when you’re editing the
header.
Although you have a zone of nine lines
set aside for the header on each page,
you're unlikely to want the header text to
appear on the first line of that zone, right
at the top of the page, so you select a
position Betting of perhaps 4 or 5 to
indicate on which line of the page the
first line of your header text will appear.
If you have just one line of text, say a title
and page number, this gives you a
reasonable margin above and below it.
There is a problem with the footer zone
position setting, however. This works in a
similar way, and you use it to indicate
where you wish the first line of your footer
zone text to appear. Obviously you don’t
want it immediately after the last line of
the document proper as it will look more
like a continuation of it, so you’ll
probably want to leave at least a couple
of blank lines before the footer is printed.
According to the manual the footer
position is counted up fix>m the bottom of
the screen, so if you enter a setting of 3
the first line of your footer text will
appear three lines up from the bottom of
the page.
Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to
work in practice, and with a setting like
that LocoScript will try to print the first
line of footer text on the third line of the
page, counting from the top. As this ia
occupied by text, it waits and prints the
footer text aa acx>n as possible after the
body of the document.
If the text fills the page this doesn’t
matter too much, as the footer gets
printed at the foot anyway, but if your
text ends half way up the page then you’ll
get your footer printed just under it. The
footer zone position must be set instead
at the line number on the page where you
want the first line of footer text to appear,
that is, something like 66 or 67 if you
want a small gap above and below.
You must also remember not to put
more lines into the footer zone text than
can actually be fitted on to the page. If
your first line of text is to appear on line
67, and you then enter four lines of footer
text, the final one won’t fit on the page
and will be carried over to be printed on
the lop of the next page.
If you are printing out a single sheet of
paper this could cause the program to
appear to lock up, and you won’t be able
to do anything with it, whereas all that's
happening is that the document hasn’t
finished printing its final line of text and
the machine is simply ‘"Waiting for
paper”.
Stop!
In dealing with LocoScript in practice.
I've been concentrating on items that the
manual doesn’t explain perhaps as well
as it could, or on slightly confusing areas,
and there's one Important key that
doesn’t even appear in the index, which
is the Stop key.
You should know by now that the Can
key (for Cancel) allow^s you to take back
any command or menu that you’ve
decided that you don’t want after all, and
in effect it’s the opposite to the Enter key
which confirms that you want to go
ahead with the action that you’ve
chosen.
The Stop key works ae an extra
safeguard and allows you to halt certain
actions if you change your mind. It won’t
work on every type of action, but if, for
instance, you’ve pressed the wTong key
and started to send the cursor to the end
of the document instead of to the
beginning, you can press Stop to prevent
you having to ait there and watch while
the cursor slowly but inexorably makes
its way^to the wrong place.
Pressing Stop at once calls a tempor¬
ary halt to things, and you can either stop
permanently by pressing Stop a second
time, or carry on by pressing Enter,
If you think you’ve made a mistake,
it's always worth pressing Stop to see if
you can get out of it again. It doesn't
cancel the action, but merely halts it at
the place it’s reached and allows you to
send the cursor back the other way or
whatever it is you wish to do.
I hope this aeries of articles has served
to explain Joy ce a little more thoroughly
to both those who’ve bought her and
those who are thinking of buying the
machine.
I said at the start that having spent my
hard-earned money on the PCW, I felt
justified in criticising where necessary,
but in truth there have only been a few
slight moans and I honestly feel it’s the
best buy I have ever made. It seems to
have almost doubled my writing output,
and you can hardly ask for much more
than that.
ABC
POST cooe
TEL NO
® ORDER BV PHONE
SAGE'
HokJeiT. of Ajjcea& and B^rcla^'card can I
o^er b-v 'fihiinarg TyrwsW* {091) 284 7f>77. j
I^ease allow 38 dai's fCH" delivery, ]
BETTER SAGE THAN SORRY i
BRITAIN’S BEST VALUE
COMPUTER HARDWARE
So far so good. If you’ve
bought an Amstrad PCW 8256
you've got the best value
hardware on the market. Bui
what now? Keep o n savin g with
the best selling, Sage ‘Popular’
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Take your pick from the
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AMSTRAD. Accounts, Payroil,
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all simple to use but highly
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as £69,9y incl, VAT For the cost-
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W'hat Amstrad did for
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companies, have done for
software prices. Talk to your
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information.
BRITAIN’S
BEST VALUE
0 ACCOUNTS The original SAGE
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9 INVOICING Automatic invoice
production linked to a stock
recording system £69.99 incl VA'l
•accounts plus
SAGE accounts combined with
Invoicing and linked directly to your
ledj^rs. £149.99 mcl VAT
• PAYROIX An effective,
easy-to-use system to automate wage
calcubtions.'payslip printing etc
£69.99 inci. VAT
•combo pack The SAGE
Accounts and Payroll programs in a
monev'Saving package £149.99
ind. VAT
•SUPER COMBO Accounts,
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• SAGE DATABASE The electronic
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records and produce reports and mail
shots £69.99 incl. VAT
• CHIT CHAT E-MAIL A special
version of this top-selling program to
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Includes free Onc-to-One mail box
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• CHIT CHAT COMBO Save
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£99.99 incl. VAT
r,
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Fill in tlie details bebw and post to^
Sagejwft jjlt, NE! House, Cenirc.
Ck^orth, Newoistk^ upu-n Tyne 3rj&.
N^VME.
COMPANY.
POSITION .
address.
-XI
Total Price....
& 247.50
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pc]
SURVEY
The survey
in issue 1 of
Amstrad
Business
Computing
produced a
stunning
response.
William Poel
studied the
forms.
Business computing:
What did
YOU want?
The first ABC supplemerLt carried a brief
questionnaire designed to get readers to
work out what it was they needed from
their first encounter svitb computing in
their businesses.
The resulting forms have been read -
but not analysed by computer (shame'.)-
since the size of the sample and the wide
ranging nature of the questionnaire made
this very difficult. However^ the trends
were quite apparent, and prove the
marketing philosophy of Amstrad is dead
right. ..
Who?
The source of submissions would have
brought a lump to the throat of
politicians who specialise in empty
rhetoric extolling the virtues of why every
business in Britain should embrace the
^'new technology” and computerise in
the National Interest,
Ever> thing from fish and chip shops to
accountants, via small manufacturing
businesses and a goodly (Godly?) dose of
the clergy sent in their outlines for
consideration.
In other words, the heartland of Mrs
Thatcherenterprising community that
steadfastly avoided the products of those
other computer companies that featured
heavily with the political PR, but who
failed to address the needs of the small
business.
What?
The number one subject (besides word-
proceasing, taken for granted with a
PCW^ 8256) was accounts. This is not
surprising, but it is an area where a single
disc PCW 8256 is at a disadvantage.
The main problem being that account
data files need to be pre-set: and
changing the size of accounts data files is
a notoriously delicate task, if it is
possible at alL So you must try and get it
right first time. It isn't easy guessing how
many customers you will have in 12
months time, how^ many stock lines, how'
many transactions.
Playing with only 173k of data leaves
little or no room for guesswork, and
makes the totally integrated approach of
invoicing, stock control and sales ledger
nearly impossible. Far better to start
with the second drive fitted if accounts
<:) Wulliosersystems..—
bits and morememw.t
:: n JL/Lr
.. □ bj Rudimentary "..*.* □
c) Passable .,.,,,..1..... ^
Q d) Good.. ...^
p Redhol .....- O
's
year’s This S « ® «
□ the most crucial anH ^t ** probably
□ consideration « any sm^
^^irtensation project. ^ com^
coated us©
t7,HaX
hardwares
V'es-pt^
summary oi
any):
On>puteriis 0 ?
on extra staff
/oneelseis..
ARC^C lABC^C^ ^A mstoadBusinessCompiiti^ ^
are going to feature in your requirements.
Around 80 per cent of the submissions
confessed to have no prior knowledge of
computers or computing^ and were
bravely setting out on the great quest for
knowledge on their own, Not too many
owners regard their encounter with the
PCW 8256 as a “learning” experience-
but I suspect that view will become
modified after the first piece of software
is purchased.
Spreadsheets and databases come
joint second (no surprises here)^ and a
few people added comments, declaring
the high cost of Prestel and BT Gold to be
a severe disincentive. Mind you, £1 a
week is nothing when compared to the
cost of the phone bill but most people
seem to regard that quarterly event with
a fatalistic indifference.
In any case, how many letters can you
send for £1? And how many of those turn
up next day? The “recorded delivery”
E-Mail has been with us for years (telex) ^
and it is a mystery why no one is trying
harder to put together a low cost telex
line interface for the PCW 8266, Hang all
these modem mania, what the business¬
man needs is a real telex facility.
No messing about
A concise and clear cut attitude that
computers are for computerising is fine:
as long as the user is prepared to take a
clinical view on the costs of acquiring
knowledge, and actually add up the cost
of their own and their staffs time spent
in getting acquainted.
Anyone who does not count the cost is
participating in a learning experience,
whether or not they wish to call it that.
This ia why it is so important to make the
right choices at the outset, and why the
cheapest solution is not automatically
the best solution. It may well only be the
cheapest in the short term, turning out to
be very much more expensive than other
options in the medium or long term.
It was interesting to see that well over
half the submissions claimed no prior
knowledge of home computing either.
Some (admittedly dubious) statistics
seem to indicate that every man, woman
and water vole in Great Britain owns a
Spectrum (let alone anything else). I can
only conclude that the experience has
been so chastening that the owners have
written off the idea of ever taking
computing seriously where their
livelihoods are at stake.
The cost
Following on from this pointy when asked
if the hardware, software or time spent
learning was the most expensive element
of the purchase, came a touching
expectation that the highest price to be
paid was for the hardware. Oh dear.
Virtually 100 per cent of users decided
that they would make their minds up
about the next stage in their develop¬
ment of computerisation based on their
initial experiences. This is hardly
surprising - and it will be interesting to
re-ask the question in 12 months time.
The business outlook
Over 70 per cent of users claimed to have
a passable or better knowledge of
accountancy, It'S inevitable for a small
business to have to understand most
aspects of accountancy these days, as the
time spent in unpaid work on behalf of
the government is probably the major
driving force in the business computer
industry. It seems likely that the most
conscientious book keepers are likely to
be those who perceive the most benefits
from computerisation.
Almost everyone offered credit
account facilities for their sales, next to
the VAT return, the biggest moan in the
small business is the chasing of unpaid
debts, and the benefits of computeris¬
ation are very obvious on this score.
Stock control featured in 15 per cent of
the forms. This is not a bad thing, since
the rigours and discipline of stock
management are rarely observed
properly in small businesses, making a
computerised record about as much use
as a raffle.
Three people actually took any advice
on the selection of their system, and one
of those was a salesman from a multiple
electrical retail chain. This says much for
the pjower of Amstrad’s message and
promotional philosophy that "price is
all”.
Naturally enough, the three who took
the advice rated it as **good”, I only know
of one or two of the thousands who
bought a PCW 8256 to be disappointed -
and that was almost entirely due to their
fundamental meanness at refusing to
buy a big enough system to match their
immediate needs.
Conclusions
Those of you who sent in a form with an
SAE may wonder why you have not
received a direct response. I have dark
and terrible confession to make. The
forms and SAE^s were detached, and
since the form does not contain a name
and address, and Tm not into handwrit¬
ing analysis, I regret the only solution
was to stuff as much general information
into the envelopes as would fit, and
return them,
The fundamental advice to all is to
choose and use your accounting software
in conjunction with your accountant (he
may find it as much fun as you do), and
under no circumstances stop keeping
manual records until you are 100 per cent
confident that you have a system that
can recover from accidents such as power
cuts.
There are now so many different
software products available for the PCW
8266 owner that the prime considerations
should be:
1. Is the author available to support
the product? You’ll either pay in the
basic cost or with a paid support scheme.
Expect to pay for this service. There ain^t
no such thing as a free lunch, and
software publishers who don*t charge
enough go bust: then where do you
stand? Arriving just as the Official
Receiver is towing the sleek black
Porsche away is not going to rescue your
payroll system when the NI rates have
changed (yet again),
2. Does the software have any upgrade
path - in other words, if your business
grows and you upgrade your hardware,
will you be able to transport your
knowledge and your data with you?
Avoid cul-dt'&ac products where your
knowledge is locked in to the PCW8266,
Theresa plenty around where coun¬
terparts exist on IBM PC, CP/M 86 etc
that you have no excuse to remain
shackled to machine-specific software.
The future for small
business comtiuting
The Sage Rent scheme is a gex^d idea - as
well as being a very shrewd piece of
marketing in its own right by one of the
most wily and experienced firms in the
business. Dealer^ wishing to take a grip
on their localities could do much worse
than instigate similar ideas of their own,
and users could do far worse than take up
such ideas - especially where a dealer is
able to offer a broad choice from the
entire gamut of software available.
One drawback in such a scheme is the
uncertainty of software warranties, and
the scope for the awkward customer to
wreakliavoc with unreasonable demands
for assistance. So far, PCW 8256 owners
have shown themselves to be model
customers (that means they con go
through the door we've fitted to the Joyce
on the cooer - Ed), being small business
people who understand the reality of
business better than the hobbyist
consumer who is happy to spend hours on
the phone to a software house trying to
work out how to get past level 99 on Space
Invaders,
As long as we all learn from the gradual
decline of the plush carpeted, expen¬
sively equipped computer shops selling
ay Stems costing upwards of £5,000, and
approach small busines^s computing with
a cautious realism on all fronts, then
Amstrad ^111 have done the economy a
great service.
Too bad the government isn't interes¬
ted in creating a climate where it would
be viable for Amstrad to make the PCW^
8256 in the UK. But on the other hand,
just look what happened to those
manufacturers who tried, --
ABC
xrv
What puts the Plus in the
Scratchpad
spreadsheet?
Scratchpad Plus is an
electronic spreadsheet available for the
Amstrad FCW 8256 and CPC 6128 computers. But it’s the
Plus that makes Scratchpad the only choice for all
professional electronic spreadsheet users.
It’s the Plus that gives what others give...
Capacity.... Features... Help...
Scratchpad Plus is the ONLY spreadsheet
that does not have an "OUT OP MEMORY”
message - [t doesn’t need one[ Because
Scratchpad Pius is the ONLY spreadsheet
that carries on giving you working space
when other spreadsheets completely run out
of steam.
The power of Virtual Memory!
Scratchpad Plus utilizesVirtual” memor>'.
Just like any other spreadsheet it begins by
building your model in memory. But unlike
any other spreadsheet, Scratchpad Plus doe.s
not stop when you, have used all the memory
space available - It then pretends your disk
drive is extra memory, and uses the space
available to cariy on calculating for you.
Anyone doing any serious spreadsheet work
will tell you just how frustrating it can be
when there just isn't any room left to
complete your calculations!
Now that Scratchpad Pius is available, a
spreadsheet just isn't worth considering
unless it uses Virtual Memory!
Multiple windows
Most spreadsheet programs allow you to view
two parts of your spreadsheet at the same
lime. Scratchpad Pius is the only
spreadsheet which gives you aln’io_st
unlimited screen splitting capabilities.
Simultaneously view as many parts of your
spreadsheet as will fit on the screen at the
same time - Ask "what if' questions and see
ALL the answ'ers you need presented before
you!
Design the spreadsheet around your
application - Not the other way ,
round!
Wi th oth,er spreadslieets, the tt’ieoretica]
number of row's and columns you can have is
FIXED. If you need less columns, but more
rows - NO CM DO! With Scratchpad Plus,
you decide how many actual rfiws and
columns you require.
Display Pounds not Dollars
Let s face it - We are not part of the United
States ofy\merica. Our currency is English
Pounds not US Dollars [$SS$$).
Scratchpad Plus allows you to display the
good old sign-^OME OTHER
SPREADSHEETS DONT
The price of Scratchpad (and all the
“Pluses”) is just £69.99 inc of VAT.
Available from all good dealers, or call
( 01 ) 379 6502 NOW
Instant help
Scratchpad Plus has a comprehensive, easy
to follow, user guide and tutorial which takes
you step by step through all the features of
the product. And there is a comprehensive
set of help screens available to you all the
time you are w^orking with a spreadsheet.
Help just a phone call away
Every user of any Caxton product is hacked by
a skilled telephone support team who use the
products them.se Ives everv' day. If you have a
question about ScratchP^ Plus that the
manual does not an.swer for you, it doesn't
matter where you purchased our program
from - just dial (01) 379 6502. The people
who publish the product will help.
Help in the form of Training
Soon we wil I be beginning our series of
Scratchpad Plus training courses at our
training centre in Covent Garden. Pick up
the phone ai’id ask for details of prices and
dates.
aaies^^^
^ 3 ^
SmartKey II!
(worth £49.99)
Fora limited period only, we are supplying
FREE with each copy of Scratch Pad Plus one
copy of Sm artKey 11 - th e ve ry c I eve r
keyboard enhancer and macro facility which
W(irks with most CR/M software. Combined
with Scratchpad Plus, SmartKey 11 will
a] ] ow y (m to d isp lay w?i ndows. I'eca I cu 1 at e
mndeis, save files and print bv iust pressing
ONE KEY!
And combine SmartKey II with otlier
programs to take the ledium out of any
regular keybtKsrd wijrk you have to Jo.
r ^
Paxton '
Caxton S(.>lhvare LIJ.
1(1-14 Bedford St.,
London,
VVC2E9HK,
01-379 6502.
ScratchpadPJui iscuriV'fUJhl SLii|Kir-S<ii’I.Sm.,iylKL'yll
P OWTR BEHIND
Light Pen
A sophisticated Graphics
Package which includes a
Colour Palette, Wudge Control
for one pixel accuracy, Brush
Choice, Text Handling and
User Defined Characters.
it can Magnify, Shrink, create
Circles, Reaangles, Lines,
Curves and Colour Ffll.
There is Picture Storage and
Retrieval, a Pen Callibration
utillity and Printer Dump,
There is casette driven or
ROM software for the 464
and ROM software for
The 6128.
Casette £19,95.
ROM £29.95.
Speech Synthesiser
A speech synthesiser and
powerful stereo amplifier
which greatly improves the
quality of the internal speaker,
Ejxtremely easy to use with an
almost infinite vocabulary.
Supplied with text to speech
convertor for ease of output
creation.
Includes two high quality four
inch speakers designed to
compfinnent the Amstrad.
There is casette driven or
ROM software for the 464
and ROM software for
the 6128.
Casette £29.95.
ROM £39.95.
DK Ironies products are
available in all good computer
stores. If you have any local
problems obtaining them
contact us directfy.
You can order by phone
quoting your Bardaycard or
Access number, orders are
normally despatched in
2A hours.
YOUR AMSTRAD
^64K Memory Expansion
ConV'erts thse 464 inta a 6128
(except for the ROMS) and
gives 128K of rnemorY,
The 64K give^ the satne
amount and configuratfon of
RAM as The 612S.
It is supplied with bank
switching software fn the form
of RSXs to use the second
64K. RAM as storage for
screens, windows, arrays
and variables.
It allows the use of CPM plus
as supplied with the 6128
It requires no additional
power supply.
£49.95.
256K Memory Expansion
Converts the 464 into a 6128
(except for the ROMS) and
gives a total nnemory of 320K.
Gives the same memory
configuration as the 6128 but
there are four extra banks
of 64K.
It is supplied WJth bank
switching software in the form
of RS.Xs to use the memory
as storage for screens,
windows, arrays an:d variables.
The 250K can store 16 full
16K screens,
It allows the use of CPM plus
as supplied with the 6128
It requires no added
power supply.
£99.95.
^2SeK Silicon Disc
256K of RAM disc accessible
many times faster than the
coi^ventional drive and with a
greater disc capacity,
k can be logged on as drive
B or iri a two drive system
as drive C.
It will accept a?l normal
Amstrad disc commands ie.
load, save, cat etc
Data can be transferred onto
the Silicon disc from a normal
disc or from RAM, application
programmes can then vvork oi^
the data at vastly increased
speed.
£99-95.
(Miffponks
MANUFACTURERS OF POWERFUL PERIPHERALS
DK Ironies Limited
EngJands Lane, Gorleston-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR3t 6BE
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!ABCABC-ABC»ABC-Ag
Amstrad Business Computingfcc > ABC • ABC - ABC • ABC
ABC
SPECIAL
Cliff Lawson, the
man from Amstrad
technical, returns
to present part 13
in his awe
inspiring series of
articles on the
socio-economic
effect of pink jelly
on a settlement of
lesser spotted wood
voles. In fact it*s
really something to
do with redefining
the Joyce
character set (on
screen, not printer,
sorry!), but that
doesn*t sound half
as interesting.
better make it clear that the re^t of this
article is unlikely to take any prisoners.
Some of the sentences are of a highly
technical nature and should be avoided
hy anyone scared of the-word PEEK,
Much to the protestations of the
Editor^ I think it has to be said that any
normal thinking human being will prefer
Sans-serif text to that used for setting
this magazine, (Sans-serif means that
the ends of the lines of letters don’t have
ostentatious twiddly bits).
The eagle eyed among you may have
noticed that your Joyce also has aerifs on
some of its characters and, as 1 don't like
them^ 1 figured that something needed to
be done. The fruit of my labours is
presented here, a simple (???) way to
redefine the entire Joyce character set (or
just selected characters).
When we sell you a Joyce, there
probably aren’t many people who realise
that we also throw in several hundred
pounds worth of software. Locoscript
itself must be worth several hundred and
in addition to this yo'U get Mallard Basic
(£100), GSX (£2O0ish);DrLogo (£3,37),
and Digital Research Programming tools
(SID, ASM, MAC, RMAC, LINK)
(another £200ish). So it seems like a good
idea to make the most of this. The one
drawback of the multiplicity of
assemblers that we supply is that they
are all Intel 8080, rather than Zilog Z80
assemblers, but this isn’t really a major
problem if your head is screwed on the
right way (your nose should point in the
same direction as you walk).
Mission possible
Your task, should you choose to accept it,
19 to type in the two assembler listings
shown here. They must be entered into a
couple of files on disc and by far the
easiest way of doing this is to use RPED.
If you have set your CP/M disc s t that it
has a PROFILE.SUB as described on
page 15 of the CP/M section in Book 1,
then just type the word RPED, Once the
editor has loaded, hit f3 to create a new
file. When asked for a name, type in
either REDEFINE.ASM or DOIT.ASM,
depending on whether you are typing in
listing 1 or 2. The spacing in assembler
programs is not exactly critical, but it
does ease readability if there is a good
sized space between each field of an
instruction.
When you have typed in the file name,
before hitting Return it would be a good
XIX
ABC > ABC • ABC • ABC • ab| AmsfaadBusinessCompi^^ . abC • ABC ■ ABC • ABC
|>tOTf tfxt.txt
Df vt Tiiit to %t, ihit is tk fuostioR
Iftifthr 'tis noblw in tk lifld
To soffor tk sUng« and mm nt intragiotts fortuni
Or to tm ami igainii i sti of triubii and bi OF^oiing ind thM.
To ditj U skfP no non ind k > slfiP t« siy «« tnd \M hiirUehii
Am) tk thou»ra nattiril ihKYi tkt fitsb is kir t«.
'Tis a nniuwation. moutly tn be iishid.
Tn diej to steepj to sleep, lerchince U dretn.
Ay, there's the rah. For in that sleet of death
]ml dreans ftag twe when ve have ihtirfled off this nirtil toil
Ntist give rs piuse,
Therc^s the respect that whes uliititg if such long lift*
H>twt tfxt.txt
To be or not to be, tnot is the qvcstien
Uhfther 'tis nobler in the nind
To svFfer the slings and nrrws of ootraoeoos fir tune
Or to tnk oms igoinst ft sn of trouble ami bg opposing end then.
To die, to sleep no nore am) by g sleep to m ue end the hedftoches
And the thomond tmluml shocks that Flesh is heir to.
His 0 eonswnotioni beooutlg to bt nisb™.
To die, to sLeepj to sleep, perchonoe to drenn.
Ay, there's the rih, fir in that steep oF death
Vnot dreons mg tone when ue kve shufFLid oFF this norUt coil
kit tive us pause,
There s the respect that mkes caUnity if such long liFe*
2'op: With serifs* Bottomi San»-«eHf
idea to remove your system disc and
insert a formatted blank that has a bit
more apace on it.
Putting it all together
Having entered these two files, the fun
really starts. They both have to be
assembled then linked and finally
combined. To do this, you will need to get
your (back up of) side 3/4 disc out of his
box. Kemove the disc onto which you
have just saved DOIT and REDEFINE
and insert side 3 to the left. Then type:
RMAC B:D01T
After a short pause, you will be prompted
to insert the disc for drive B:* Remove
side 3 and insert the disc with the two
files on it. Once this operation has been
successfully completed, you should be
met by the following:
CP/M RMAC ASSEM 1.1
0251
0(X)H USE FACTOR
END OF ASSEMBLY
If anything else appears, then this almost
certainly means that you have made a
typing error, so go back to RPED, to
correct the file (DOIT.ASM).
Once the file has been successfully
assembled, remove the disc and insert
side 3 again. This time, type:
UNK BtDOIT
You will be asked to insert the disc for
drive A:, just hit a key. You will then be
asked to insert the disc for drive B:.
Insert the disc with the assembler files
and then hit a key. This should produce
the following;
ABSOLUTE OOOO
CODE SIZE 0251 (0100-0350)
DATA SIZE 0000
COMMON SIZE 0000
USE FACTOR OO
So far, ao good, now you'll have to repeat
the whole process for REDEFINE.ASM.
Insert side 3 and type:
RMAC B:REDEFINE
Helpful hint: RMAC is on the disc for
drive A: (side 3) and REDEFINE Is on
the disc lor drive B: (disc with assembler
files). Then type:
LINK B:REDEFINE [OP]
This will produce a file called
REDEFINE.PRL, which is a page
relocatable file containing a CP/M RSX.
This must be renamed:
REN REDEFINE.RSX-REDEFIKE.PRL
This must be added on to DOlT.COM
using:
GENCOM B:DOIT B:REDEFINE
(GENCOM is on side 3).
If you understood all of that, you
should now have a disc containing a file
called DOIT.COM. With this disc in the
drive/type:
DOIT
All being well, the character set will now
XX
6128/8256 OWNERS! PAY LESS FOR THE
BEST PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS.
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sven /nfjre vtubfn es a ^fliv-cAsr
t^us^rnesj; Cum-
^vting Weakf'f t2t'S5}
"A f/jssff sp^eRdsh^st . Ofle
fnajef dtfvc^efjye ovfif muff
'Cdo'pfPSfsrt\s, is 4 HELP fuPCuan
ypfy eisr id ru 'ea^rt
most for doyan<i 1*^0 bas hopes
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This Touch n Co teytroard tutor
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Bar Cbens uan be ^racked
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sticks Pie cr^s-'IS can mfud^
exploded SMces Crtrnoine line and
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Ctieose From 3 d. Me rent type-
styies lo- >0'-'
Amslrjd face n s amaiirvg tha
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me wav vDu prcsem vout iolorri^a-
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idro many.rmaff.firms, yot, tfp
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at cfeat/ng order from chaos ft
'h efmost ifny i-maff business
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et 39,43
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DISKS £37.so for 10
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business soltware. refund isd wilh
yo'jr firs! order.
6128 GAMES
CATALOGUE
, Bend £ 1 our catalogue of b1 33
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rammaf?tfjs;.. coupied with the r/hy
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TAPE/OISK
TRANSFER
A ready good program with a
professionai sheen to the whgie
Thing. . vaty user-friend/y andstiH
noprks Of] Ybry igog programs the
Pnfy program fp offgf
sanding (tutpiit fa printer "
fAmstrad Action 0 Z.i 86 }
A disk otifity which gives J f
ca.mmands which make the task of
tape-to-disk transfer tiierafiy
chtid's pfay . ..i found rhe program
inv^uabie. jt performs extrsmaty
wa ft... an invaiuebie aid for those
with rxawfy-acguired disk drives''.
(Popuier Computing lA^eejlTy
f f idsf
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■MINI OFFICE 2
If YOU re iusi getting used to your
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'Of irsmendous vaiud to Anyone
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XXI
ABC•ABC•ABC-ABC AB
have been changed (for the better?).
If you cast your eye over the file called
DOIT.ASM, you will see that the
majority of lines in it take the form:
db ‘?*,nn,nn,nn,nn,nn,nnjnn,nn
Where the *T is the character to be
defined It his can also be given as a
numeric character number 0..255). This
is then followed by 8 bytes of bit
significant data that define the 8
successive lines of dots that make up a
character. Anyone who has ever met user
defined symbols of any sort (such as on
other Amstrads. Sinclairs and Acorns)
will no doubt see the exact method of use
for this. Basically, if you draw the
character to be defined on an 8 by 8 grid,
then convert each line in. turn into a
binary number, these can then be used in
such a definition H
If DOn'.ASM is changed, then it will
have to be assembled and linked again
(you don't need to do REDEFINE .ASM
again). Then the RSX has to be added
using GEN COM just as before. Once this
is done, the command DOIT will once
again redefine the selected characters.
The more enterprising amongst you
may be wondering just how this rabbit
was pulled out of the hat^ (If your not one
of these then retire satisfied at this point
because the going is about to get really
tough).
These programs demonstrate several
useful lessons for the would be assembler
programmer. Firstly it makes use of a
CP/M RSX and therefore demonstrates
how they are used.
In CP/M+, any modifications to the
operation of the system can very easily be
made using RSXs. I’ll assume you
already know what a BDOS call is. An
RSX allows one to patch location 5 (the
BDOS entry point) so that your external
code can have a first look at the call being
made before control is passed onto the
original BDOS entry point. The beauty
of this system is that these operating
system modifications are contained
within a relocatable module that can
easily be attached to a .COM file so that
it is able to make use of new BDOS calls
or modified versions of the existing ones
that can be used within a number of
different driving programs, RSXs at¬
tached bo a .COM file are loaded on page
boundaries from the top of the TP A
downwards. This gives a secondary
benefit if a piece of coda must reside in
the common memory of plus {fi*om#C{)00
to#FFFF), it need not be moved from an
address at the lower end of the TPA to a
fixed address at the top. Instead, CP/M+
will move it for you to an address that
best suits it and will do any relocating
needed into the bargain.
You may wonder why a piece of code
would want to be in the top of memory in
preference to being lower down. Well, the
essence of operation of CP/M+ is that one
bank (64k chunk) of memory contains
the TPA while the rest of the CP/M and
screen memory and so on are kept hidden
within some other 64k chunk,
To communicate between TPA and
screen memory, for instance when a
character is to be printed, there must be a
smallish piece of the memory shared
between all banks so that values can be
passed back and forth.
The 64k banks are really made up of
four 16k blocks, one of which is common
to all banks. There are various possible
combinations used for the operation of
CP/M. The BDOS bank is made up of
blocks 7,3, 1,0, the TPA is 7,6,5,4, there
is an extra combination of 7, 7, 8, ? and
the screen environment is blocks 7, 2, 1,
0, Block 7 (the top 16k of TPA) is
common to all these environments. The
blocks contain the following:
0 BIOS extended jumpblock
1 Screen memory
2 Matrix RAM, roller RAM and some
screen memoiyr
3 BIOS and BDOS
4 Bottom 16k of TPA
5 Next 16k chunk of TPA
6 Third 16k chunk of TPA
7 Common - top of TPA plus switching
code
8 CCP, hash tables and data buffers
From within the TPA it is possible to
call one of the extended BIOS routines in
block 0 by calling the USERF entry in the
BIOS. This is achieved by getting the
address at location 1 (WBOOT) and
adding an offset of 87. This gives the
address of the USERF routine.
This value can then be stored following
a 0C3h opcode (JMP instruction) to
produce a simple routine that can be
called (just like ENTERFIRMWARE in
Amstrad CP/M 2.2). The call is followed
by an inline address that is the address of
the routine to call.
One particularly interesting routine is
at address OOOE9h, this is known as
SCRRUNROUTINE and will allow the
screen environment bank to be switched
in, thus allowing access to the screen
memory, the roller RAM and the
character matrixeSn The matrixes are
held at 0B800h to OBFFFh and the effect
of the program is to update a particular
group of eight bytes that constitute one
particular character*
The actual position in this area is given
by multiplying the characters value by 8
and adding this to the base address
(OB800h). The area of memory from
(JBdOOh to OBTFFh holds what is known
as the roller RAM, this contains 256
words each of which is the address of a
pixel line on the screen. This can be used
for rolling the screen.
If you didn’t understand all that you’ll
be pleased to know that neither did I. A
good look at the example program shown
here will probably tell you a whole heap
XXII
Call our
order hot¬
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^ 01-379 6502
Software the
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Now available for the Amstrad CPC-6128,
PCW-8256 and CPC-464 (with CP/M)
Imagine you have to prepare a
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Brainstorm is a three dimensional
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ffyouthinkvou must Brainstorm.
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It enables you to assign any long,
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it can be used with, and is invisible
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With word processors you
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paragraphs.
reformat
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change margins
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with databases you can find records,
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With these and other software
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Are you frustrated by the keyboard
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Touch N" Co wilt change all this.
It is a carefully designed keyboard
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has
achieved
success a.s the
UK's most popular
typirig tutor. And now it’s
available for the Amstrad range of
disk-based computers.
The course dev^elops your skill on
the QWTiRTY keyboard and
numeric keypad. With a little
concentrated effort you can
achiev'C mastery in just 24 hours.
it is actually so much fun to use
that it becomes addictive. So don’t
start using Touch ‘N’ Co whett you
have something more important
you should be getting on with]
Touch ‘N’ Go gives you the
Opportunity to banish keyboard
frustration forev’er and increase
productivity with the sofbvare
products you use.
Cardbox is the most popular, the
most flexible, the fastest and in fact
THE BEST simple electronic card¬
indexing system on the market.
With Cardbox you
can maintain
instantly
records of
customers, suppliers, staff,
bookSt journal extracts, club
memberships, widgets and just
about anything you can think of.
You design the card layouts
yourself and index the information
as you t>ut it in. You can have any
number of keywords in a file,
display or print cards in any formal
and exchange information with
other programs.
You can have up to 65,000 cards in
any one file {depending on disk
capacih'T Each card can have up to
1404 characters on it, There can be
up to 26 fields on each card. The
largest field you can have is 1404
characters {the size of the card).
And there is absolutely MO LIMIT
to the number of indexed words
vou can have on a card or in a file.
Offers last for a limited period only.
Please add £3 P&P per product,
© Cardboii- Busint'ss Sim’iuLtifhn.s; SmjirtKL.y-l’BN ^’,(1— 3Tirciiui'tSyitLiiris:iitiitrStorm —BirainStiiriri
Caxton
Caxton Softore Ltd,.
I>ad] n g H ouse ,10-14 Bedford St.
London \VC2E9HE.
1
If you run a small business you'11 know, only too
well, how much unproductive time you spend
on that necessary evil, paperwork.
Quest Business Software for the AMSTRAD,
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will, quite simply, relieve you of the paperwork
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Since our award winning CASH TRADER was
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save you time on accounting, searching through
files, typing letters and producing reports.
As many of our packages ate available for
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because our software costs less ft doesn't mean
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thousands of users, world wide, will testify to
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AH Quest Business Software is very easy to
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You could say that we haven’t slept...
...So you can.
z z ^
QUEST BUSINESS CONTROL SYSTEM*
THE LOW'COST FULLY INTEGRATED ACCOUNTING SYSTEM WITH
OVER 30,000 USERS WORLDWIDE]
"Behaves h'Re mucli more expensive software, and (swell
strLictured" Whdl Mtcm' Feb. '66.
These accouTTting systems designed for the Amstrad, IBM
(and com patibl es) a nd m ost CP/M m (cros put the power of f ul ly
integrated accounting within even the smaKesE budget. The Three
modules, ofwhich the system comprises, are Sales Led get/
Invoicmg/Stock Control: PurchaseLedger : Nominal Ledger,
Modules may be purchased independently if required and full
software support is available,
All packages are fully documented and an evaluation suite for
ALL THREE modules is available.
EVALUATION COPY ONLY £19.95! tHday Money Back Guarantee)
CASH TRADER**
nfyour paperwork tends to be some^^'har haphazard. Cash
Trader Is brilliant at creating order out of chaos" - 'What Miao’
Feb.'86.
Cash Trader has sold over 5,500 copies since its launch last
year and has been universally acclaimed. Designed for business
people - not accountants - Cash Trader is as easy to use as a
Cashbook with the added advantages of automatic totalling and
cross costing, the ability to produce printed reports for VAT and
Auditors' requirements and the tremendous benefit of accepting
ANY TYPE OF ENTRY in AhEY ORDER - eliminating tedious manual
paper work sorting.
Additional reports from CASH TRADER may be simply
produced with ANALYSER-a low cost add-on module.
Cash Trader and Analyser are supplied with full
documentation and software sup port, if required.
.. ."an outstanding and original contribution to business
profitability and efficiency" The Standard Micro Business Awards.
Sept 1965
EVALUATION COPY ONLY £19.95! (14 day Money Back Guarantee)
* For Amstrad WPCa^Se.CPC 612S.i564aTid4M itwinDrivei
'IBM. Compatibles and mosl MSDOSof CP/M micros C4Bh rroder can run on a single drive.
/orks like a dream
rwork
g
ma
THE AMSTKAD POCKET SERIES
WORD PROCESSING: SPREADSHEET: DATABASE: REPORT GENERATOR Olf ice Autoination at a price to Suit your pocKet'.
Sold in 42 countries, these four essential business tools originate from J^irroPro -the authors of WORDSTAR ^ the best known software
package ever produced
POCKET WORDSTAR WITH MAI EMERGE - Professional WORDPRO CESSING with a host of features and incorporating MAIlMERGE. to
allow personalised letters arid address labels, etc., to be extracted from MAILMERGE.
POCKETSPELLSTAR-will check the spelling in your correspondence autornatlcally; from a 'dEclionary' stored fn your computer
POCKETCALCSTAR - Enjoy the benefits of accurate forecasting and planning with this spreadshcei.
POCKET OATASTAR “ Your electronic filing cabinet in which valuable information is held safely and is accessed and sorted at the touch of
a but tom
POCKET REPORTSTAR- Designs and generates the reports you need - in the form that you require them. Invaluable when used with DataSrar
WORDLINK - Links ABC accounting with POCKET WORDSTAR to enable details from your ledgers to be utilised for WORDPROCESSING,
word link, for example, will enable you to send personalised lettersto ail accounts more than 30 days overdue-Automatically,
TYPING TUTORS
KEYBOARD COACH - Absolute beginners will soon Increase their speed and accuracy with this easytouse tutor. MASTERTYPE -for "two
fingered typists" to help bring other fingers into play WITHOUT starting from scratch.
Amsi rad and most CP. .'n machints. Twin, drives fldsiMdjle-.
MATCHBOX
The stand-alone Electronic Card index you canT
afford to be without!
Oniy£2^,Q5
M ATCHB OX IS one of the easiest to use
software packages ever designed, ir allows you
borhto store infer matioTi ( ^g, customer records,
product specifications etc.) and then to sort it in a
variety of forms that may then be used, if
requried. to print out lists or labels.
features include:
• Up to 32000 Records per File
• Up to 30 Alpha or Numeric fields pet reco rd
• Sorts on any selecred fietd.
MATCHBOX ES equa I ly valu able for business or
private use!
AmslTadA^56. Can r'iUJOfi a arig^-? drive.
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How much time do you spend calculating Wages,
Tax. and N.L or maintaining SSP recordsfToo
much?
Our WAGES and SSP package takes ai! the
hassle away by automatically ca icuEating salaries,
wages and overtime.
income Tax and N.l contributions are also
calculated and payslips produced together with
comprehensive payday reports. The system also
creates Year End Forms PM/PSO and P35 {CSf.
Full SSP records are maintained, sick pay due
calculated and reports printed.
Annual updates for TAX and N.l, changes are
available together with fuH software support. Ef
required,
EVALUATION COPY ONLY tTO §5
4 , 14 day Money Back Guarantee)
■ THiniOn WPC KSflni CTC B liB. 6M ar>d
J IBWandGampaiiblei ApriCH
SOFTWARE FOR
ACCOUrmANTS*"
SHOEBOX. A powerful IncompEete Records
Program produces Trial Balance, Profits loss A/C
and Balance Sheet, simple to use. rapid entry
routine, autnmatic vat extraction. Unks to
Wordstar for tailored reporting, comprehensive
audit trial, up to 300 Nominal Accounts with 90
sub analysis codes In each.
POCKETWOKDSTAR accepts Final Accounts
reports from Shoebox, offers comprehensive
editing and printing options.
TIME RECORDER records Time and
DisbuTsements. Carers for up to 200 clients with
150* charge rates, produces comprehensive WLP
reports.
‘ Wslumw tor Amstrad. I6W wd accprr.Tnadfltfl mpie
' ArTHlrad Wt*cW&6. CPC Bl.25. i63 and.464 ivitti Drivn and
{joriMtrix or daih^^i^pel prirnen.
1
AMSniAD BUSINESS COMTIOLSYSITM .AND QUEST BUSINESS CONTROL
SYSTEMS
Please send me SAfC$ Led aer, 1 nvgltlng jnd Stock c wticJl iUEi -00 me VAT
Please SretK) me Purchase ledger iU .00 me VAT
Pleaie said me Nomf raf ledg er £33.00 me VAT
Please send me Evaluation Demonstration Suite (all 3 modules) £ me vat
CASH TRADER WITH ANALYSER
Please send me Evaluation copy tl9 95 inc VAT
Please send rt^e Cash trader- full worhi ng copy £99.95- Ik vat
Please send me fasti ITader with Analyser £149.95 iiK VAT
SOFTWARE FOR ACCOUNTANTS
Please sertd me Shoebox £149.95 inc VAT
Please seritd me Pocket Wordstar £95.95 inc VAT
Please send me Time Recorder £69.95 inc VAT
AMSTTtAD POCKH SERIES
Please send me Pockel Wordstar with MailMerge £99.96 Inc VAT
Please send me Pocket Spellstar (Spel ling checker [■ E 39.95 Inc VAT
Please sertd me Pocket f alcstar tSpreardsheet) £49.95 me VAT
Please send me Pocket Datastar (DatalJasei £M .95 inc VAT
Please send me Pocket RepoHstar (Report Cetierator) H9 95 inc VAl
Please send me wages and Statutory Sick Pay £69.55 iric vat
Please send me match box £29.95 inc VAT
me tuftfisr deiads
Total:_
Evaluation. Copies
Evaluation copies ate usable but a restriction on the ng mber of entries
exists.
on payment of the balance you will be given a password to retnovethe
restTiotton and enable full use to be made,
tf, for any reasonyou Hnd the product unsuitable toryour purposes, send
ihe evaluation copy back within 14 days lor afullTerund,
1 eiKlose my cheque made payable to Quest imernattonal Computers for
Total:
Please debit my Accessy'Visa,'American Express Cam No.
Microcomputer Used
Address: _
Name:
Tel:
Type of Business:
AC U 4/86
Quest International Computers Ltd., School Lane.
impi
Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh HaTits. SOS 3YY %l: (04215)
^CABC-ABCABCAB
ftE DE FJ Nf^15H****
Jni
f red
rs t
B
E
egu 1
table:
c ha mat
equ Sbe-Sflh
db
5 c r runrout 1114
equ
db
CS-E'S
db
■i‘^e3'Ch,.B66h.,«4h..B3Ch^«&Bh,B60h,Q7Eh,0e
(fb
db
' V ,0n:h,0fifih,'0*h,0lch,&b.b^B66h^03£h^fle
)itp
•s tart
db
'4',B1Ch,B3Ch,BACh,B£;Ch/aFEh,BCh/a(h^«0
nvxt : db
0d3h
db
du
fl
db
p r ; d y
B
db
''7'^«7Eli,Bbh,0*h,0Ch,fiilfiti,fl1Bh,fliah,B#
rmov; db
BtfJi
db
rib-fin k 1 db
9
db
'9',03C}i,0bbh.4A4fi,03Eh^06h,BAAfi,0Sch^a0
db
'KcnAfiser'
db
U' ^e3^i;h^B66h^«44h,B7Eh,a66h,Bd.Aln,B66h,00
l^adfir: db
db
^B'’^9rch,0fifih^>Jibfl^0rch^066h^fli&ih,B7Ch^0B
db
a,a
db
^c^e3C»i,0bbh^«i:0h,Bceh,0(;0h,0ib.ph^0}i;h,00
start;
db
^B'^07aki,Bb:h,0dtiih,Bb6h,06bh^96f;h,B7Ah^00
a j c
db
'r',0?Eb,060h,06B^,B7Bh^06Bh,«&0h,B7Eh,0B
cpi
?3
db
' F' ,07Eb,06«h,0b0b,0rAh,0b0h^0ij0h,B5#h,BB
jz
be^'il n
db
'€',03Ch,BiSAh^0C0n ^ 0 C 0 h , 0 CEhy 94 bh , 0 IC h ,00
jnp
next
db
' H' ,0Adh,B6bh,#44lh,B7Eh,066h^#d6h,0AAh,00
bvgi j
db
'I'^07Eh^01bh^0l8h>BlAh,B1Bhj013h,B7Eh,00
Ixi
d^byf fd r
db
' J ' ,0{;bj0ch,4ch,0ch,0[ch,0cch,073h,00
Li)
bxP
db
,0AAh,Bb4h,04Ch,B7«h,0bCh,0AAh,B66h,0B
db
;ndve parns to high aea before syftoh
db
' 1 ',0b0h,0$«h,0b0h,0b4h,06BH,0b0h,B7Eh,BB
Ihld
ubodt
db
'H' ,04Ch,Bf Eh, 0 FEh,B[> 6 h^ 0 Dbh^ 0 [ 6 h,BcAh ,00
Lji
d,a7
db
'if' ,0Cdh,BE«h,0F4h,BbEh,0CEh,0C«h,BC6h,0B
dad
a
db
'fl' ,07th,0C«h,0'f;bh>0Wh,.0C6h,0E6h,B7Ch,B0
s h'Ld
cjif i ra
db
' 1 ^' ,0 7[:h,B6Ah,04£h,07ch,060h,0O0h.0A0h,00
h,buf fer
db
,07th,B:*h,0i4h,0C6h,0Dikh,0tCh,07*h,00
Lxi
db
' H-' ^07Ch/0-6*h^0bbh>0rCh,.06Ch.,066h,06*h,00
call
«n tf u
db
' SS03Ch^0'^tth,060hj03Cft^06h,04bh,0lEh,00
du
scrrunrdiuti ne
db
' T ' ,07Eh,B1Ah,01Sh,01Ah,01|h,01Sh,01El.n,00
r#t
db
^U',0b4h,B«Ah,046h^B6ih,06bh,0fiAh,B]Ch,00
e n t f y j
db floSh
db
' V ,0b6h,'B«£h,066h,B«dh,B66h^03Ch,ei1Sti,0B
cj firn:
dy B
db
'V', 0 Cbh,JlcAh, 0 Cbh, 0 l>Ah, 0 FEK, 0 FEh, 0 «i[;h,O 0
C«de;
db
'm ' ,0C6h,B4Ch,03Bh,B3Sh,06Ch,0C6h,BCdn,0B
■ OV
a,ti ;gitchir -nunber
db
'If ' ,066h,'eA4h,06bh,«llCh,0l6h,01Sh,eit^,0B
i nM
h
db
11' ,0FEh,fl«h,0'Ch,01Bh,030h,flA0n,0FEh,00
push
h
db
’a’ ,00h,0eh^07ah,0CCh,0CCh,®CCki,076h,00
(lOV
L
db
'bS060hj«b0}|^07Chij066Ei^B66h,06dh,07clhj0B
livi
h,a
db
' tS 00 h, 0 flh, 0 ' 3 Ch, 0 iJ«h, 0 b 0 h,fi*bh, 0 SCh ,00
dad
h
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'd%0£;h,0C:h,fl7Ch,0Cth,0Ceh,acch,P74n,00
dad
h
db
'e' ,B0h..B«h,03Ch^0bAh,07Eh,e60ki,03Ch,00
dad
h
db
^B3Chj«66h^06Bhj«7ah^060h^060h,®60h^BEl
Iki
d^chamit
db
,00h,'0«h,03Chj06«h,0a6h^03Eh,0bh,03ch
did
d
db
' ti' ,0b0h,4i&0h ,07oh,9iA6'h ,06Ah , 0 b 6 h ,00
pLifh
h
db
'i ■ , 01 Eh,« 0 ti, 01 Eh,«lAti, 01 Bhx 01 Sh,®iaii ,00
pop
d
db
' i ',06h,«i9h,06h>06h,0iti^06«'h,066h,03Ch
pop
h
db
' k' ,0b0h,0A0ti,0bbh,#dcb,07a.h,06i:h,®bd^h,0®
iti
b^A
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db
#fldh,BbBh ; Idfr
db
'a' ,BBhi«eh, 0 dChjBFEh, 0 D 6 liv 0 P 6 h,BCdli^BB
ret
db
, 00 h,® 0 'h, 0 ^Ch, 0 AA)i, 06 bh,! 046 h, 0 e>Ab ,00
buffer;
db
,B0h,«eh,03Ch,0««ti,06bh,04Ah,03C}i,00
df
db
■p' ,00h,«0ti,07Ch,06*ti,066h^07Ch,«ieJl,060h
end
db
■q' ,00h,#0ti,07Ch,0CCti,0CCh,07Ch,#Ch,BEh
l^^
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‘r%00h,#0l|,07thj0Wf , 0 t 0 h, 060 h,eb 0 }i, 0 «
MV i
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f rf d:
db
't\03Bb,0301],03C:h,030h, 030 •i,036h,0Kh,««
nvi
c.?J
db
'u' ,00h,«0'h,06bh^0A&}i,0b6h^0«bh,«3C)i,00
push
h
db
' v' ,BBh,«0i1,B66h,0«6}i,Bbbh,03Chj®lSl1^B0
Plil h
b
db
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da L L
5
db
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pop
b
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V' ,00h,«0h,0b6h^06A^,0£.bh,03Eh,fl&}i,03Ch
pnp
h
db
■i',00h,«eii^07Eh,0Ch,01Bh,030h,0rEh,00
Lsi
d,g
db
■il!'>03cb,06bb,06#h,0f3h,mh,0b0h,07«h,0#h
dad
d
a f u:
db
BcSh
d c r
b
hid 1 bi
du
0
Listing I: Redefine.ASM
more than a multitude of fatuous waffle.
REDEFINE .ASM contains the code to
implement my RSX, This adds a new
BDOS call {73, well why not?). The
header information contained within the
first 27 bytes at the top of this file will
always be pretty similar whenever you
want to implement a new RSX.
The first six bytes are always 0 and are
filled when the RSX is loaded. The next
three contain a jump instruction to the
start of ynur interception routine. The
following couple will be followed by the
address of the previous module. This is
the address to call if a BDOS function is
required within the RSX.
This is followed by a single byte that
should be OFFh if the RSX should be
removed from memory next time the
RSX is loaded and OOOh if it should
remain. An eight byte name will follow
this. The loader flag indicates whether or
not this is the last RSX in the chain.
Finally there are a couple of bytes that
are reserved.
The first thing the ESX code should do
is check the value in register C. If this
contains the value of the BDOS call to be
intercepted the routine is entered,
otherwise control is passed to the next:
routine.
In this example the RSX intercepts
BDOS call 73. If this is called the nine
bytes pointed to by HL are moved into a
buffer in common memory. The address
of USERF is calculated and stored then
used to access the SCRRUNROUTINE.
This calls a small section of program
entitled code: which picks up the
character number which is multiplied by
8 and added to the base address of the
matrixes. Finally the new definition is
moved into place with an LDIR operation
accessed by a db in 8080 code.
Well, my good God, that was
interesting wasn't it, I am sure we can all
sleep a little sounder in our beds tonight,
happy in this new found knowledge.
Seriously though if that’s possible, the
above has shown how values can be
moved from CP/Ms TPA into the hank
containing the screen memory and so on
so there is no longer any excuse for people
not to produce some amazing graphic
effects on the machine. Yeah, I know you
were all just about to do it in GSX
anyway.
XXVI
Amstrad-PCW8256
Standard 5^" Add On Disk Drives
100% CP/M Software and LocoScript
Compatibility ueing Low Cost Floppies
DRIVE 1
DOUBLE SID£D
40 TRACK 360K
£ 177.50
DRIVE 2
DOUBLE SIDED
80 TRACK 720K
£ 207.25
PC/MS DOS <->CPM Transfer Utility
Allows 360K Drive to Read and Write
IBM FILES, Read Only with 720K
£23.50
Enquire for other Transfer Formats
or other Disk sizes (3", 3.5\ 8"}.
PR ICES INCLUDE INSTALLATION SOFTWARE, P&P Si VAT,
BOX LTD.
22 Hendred Street, Oxon 0X4 2ED
Tel; (08651 717968
PCW 8256
WORD PROCESSOR
LOCOSCRIPT
INSTRUCTION
London and Provinces
Full Day Course - £55
For Brochure
0651-6446
Tel.
Or write
GRAYFIELD LTD.
FREEPOST
AB5 SQL
(No stamp required)
WORDSTAfi, SUPERCALC
SNEWWORD CRACKER
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE^ from
hrib AMSTRAD PCW 8256 £49,«
‘Award Winning Compaet Sotwar© wiiti over t2,0CG pcckages
dlr0C3dy in use in businesses large ar^d small has been lested crndi
recommended by lecrding British occountants The Incredible volue
and success of Amstrads PCW Business Computer has enabled
Compact to offer its proven poctoges at a fraction of the normal cost
• DAVeOOK E49.4Sour entry level system for the retd Her or smail troder
includes everyth ing'necessary to imitate monuaify kept books, ie. Soles
Daybook, Pufchose Daybook, Cash Book, Nominal Ledger *
COMPACT ACCOUNTS £199.99 is Our adsy to use C-omptela Accounting
System including Soles Ledger, Invoicing, Purchase and Nominal
Ledger. H produces Invoices, Statements also Debitors and Creditors
AnoEysiis. provides Credit Controt Functions, Budgeting, VAT Analysis ond
Reporllng, Full Audit Trails Produef Profitabilily Analysis and
Comprehensive Management i^e porting to Trial 8a lance • COMPACT
PAYROLL £99.99 .Deals with weekly, fornightly, 4 weekly and monthly
payroSIs and conforms to ol I the latest N. I, and 3 .S.P requirements. If you
only require a single ledger ie. Sales ledger or Nomir^al Ledger each
can be purchased separately at £69.99 Inc VAT. All Com pad
packages can Ironsfer data (o SLIPE^!CALC^ NEW WORD MULTIPIAN
CRACKER, WORDSTAR. So you can prepare cashflow ch-arts with
Superoate or write to your customers using Newword without re -er^terlng
date ol ready created in vour accounting system. So donT delay order
today let Compact stort helping your bu^ness now!
Whort Ihe Papers soy;- "COf^PACT is a 'very well writlan systerri, pxlrerrev good value
for money and very pow-erlgl''. PC USER^tanuory 19BS — "COMPACT ledgers otter
some ewc^lont f^lures for the small compariy''. MICRO DECISION D&cember I'PeS,
'In 190^1 CDWPaCT SOfTWARE won the ’’RITA" oward wTirch is to the intormcilion
teohriEsiQgv world whot the "OsGor" is to the film induslrv.
■ COMPACT DAYBOOK COMPACT ACCOUNTS
Inc. VAT p&p = £52.90 □ ire. VAT + p&p £205,00 □
I COMP ACT PAYROLL ^ SINCLt LtDCERS
inc. VAT + p&p = EtOS.OO [J inC. VAT + pS^p - £73,00 []]
H [SiCile wfiich, _ _
" I enclose cheque payctble to COMPACI SOFlWARt lid. tor
I Return to COMPACT SOFTWARE LTD.
1 Ensbury Pork Rood, Bournemsouth, Dorset BH9‘2SQ
I tMAr(^D _ _ACU4
I COtJPftNV _
ADDliES'S
I
Tel. no.
J
new-sa cn*3t¥ 2G otryj nof ^lelwefY
XXVII
"Quite the best snd most fhxtbie personal accounts system (We seen-doubles as an Inexpensive business system"
Computing with the Amstrad review, September 1985,
Unri vatfed fea tures
MONEYMANAGER
Unbeatabie valuB
AMSTRAD CPC464 CPC664 CPC6128 PCW8256 PCW8512
Financial management software for personal and/or small business use.
OVER 7000 SATISFIED USERS
Record ail your financial transactions, and analyse iheiti to sea where you stand. Make the most of
your money, monitor your cash Row, check your bank or credit card statements, pacify the bank
manager, convince the tax man, avoid nasty surprises!
12 months of entries are kept in a file stored on your disc or tape. At any time, you may load a file into the computer
memory, add to or edit the entries, analyse them, print statements and then save the updated file for later use.. Entries
may be historic (for record keeping) or forecast (for budgeting), You may have any number of separate files, and make
copies of files for archive purposes. You may advance the period covered by a file month by month.
up to 100 aaparatfl tr«najictiani may ba aiitarad par month.
Each antry conaiat* of;
• The day ot the monih. e.g. 23rd of Jude.
• An account number one of up to 9 defmed by you to soil your
circumslance£ 1 = Barclays. 2=Visa. 3-Hail«faK arc.
• ftefererce. e.g. ASCI23 (or a cheque number or invoice reference.
• A class code, one of up to 50 defined by you to suit your
eircumstar^cefi e.^. hO=Houfi&hold &xpd-rii&a. hi =Mortgag6. h2=Rate5
or p0=Product ion. pi = Raw materjals. p2-Assembly, p3=P3C:king etc.
• A description so ihat you can see whac each iransaction was for.
e.g. "htew gearbox" qr "Gpx of 10 discs".
• The amount of the transaction, which rody be plus or minus.
4 An opilonal smgia character mark which you may include for further
classification e g. b business, p-private. v;-VAT. etc.
CPC cassette £14.95 CPC disc £17.95
You may SAlsct catsgori«a according to Account, cltiM and mork
Ee.g. all motoriog oxpaniai for businats uaing a cradit card]' and
prOduca rOpOrtS as fdllc>WEl:
• Full detailed statements, showing each transaction for any monih or
for the whole year.
• Tables showing the totals m each class for each month of the year
• Tables showrncp tha totals in each class for each account.
• Tables showing monthly maximum, minifnum average balances,
turnover, cashflow etc. idisc versions only I
• Bar graphs of any category month by monrh.
V Pie charts of annual totals for various categories iC^^C versions onlyf,
Comprehensive manual and full set of praotioo
data included^ Full telephone support.
PCW disc £23.95 (incl. VAT, p&p)
Send cheque or credit card number or phone for immediate delivery.
Connect Systems
3 Flanchford Road, London W12 9ND
01-743-9792 8am-10pm 7 daya a weak
TUT.
WITH SIAS the Simplified Integrated Accounting System
- FULLYINTEGRATEDCOMPLETF BOOKKEEFfhlG/ACCOUNTS SYSTEM
Each transaction need only to be entered once, a/I rdevant /edger postings happen ai/tomatlcally at the tline of posting.
-SPECIALLYtyRrTTEN FCSfl PCWa254
UtIKres the RAM Disk to e/IntJinate the need for changing disks during the day.
- PEflSONAI.IZED INVOICES/n-ATEMENTS/REMITTANCES
- Produces Professional documents with Full Business Details on inexpensive blank paper thus Improving your compan lei imageH
- Desinged to fit standard window envelopes.
-LARGE FILE CAPACrTY
SufficlentSales; Purchase^ and Nominal Ledger Records may be kept for most businesses on I data disk.
- EASY TO USE - Designed for Inexperienced Usere.
Full instructions for jse appear on the screen. The comprehensive manual need only be used for reference,
- FUU CUSTOMER TELEPHONE SUPPORT
Sales Ledger
-/nvoice Posting
-Cash Receipts
-Debtors List
-Statements
-View Account
Purthjse Ledger
- BIN Posting
-Cash Payments
-Creditors List
-Remlctances
-VIewAtxount
Name A Addreu Labels
Nominal Ledger
• Lists of Accounts
-Reports
- Periodic Transactions
-N.L History
Cashbook
-Bank Statement Entry
- Full Recondlllatlon
- Periodic Transaction
- Mew I gives TRUE UHh status)
VAT Returns
Involef ng^redtt Notes
Management Reports
11 Stock Report
-Value of Stock
-Cost of Sales
2|As£ets
-Including Depredation
3) Prepayments 1 Post payments
4) Expenses
5) Prof1t A Loss
6) Baiance Sheets
All repom area¥aJlablcin
the following time frames
-to Date
-EstlniatedTear
-Last Year
-Budget
- %Change on Budget
- ^Change on Last Year
- Cmtact us NOWformore information
Deahrenquiri^ welcom$
0NLY£149+VAT
24ABBOTSTREET,WRe(KAM,CLW¥D.LL111TA
TELEPHONi (097^ 356632
xxvrri
I
COMPETinONl
The great
Caxton
give - away
The Amstrad PCW 8256 is much more than just a
word processor. There are now many programs
available which enable you to use it as a spreadsheet
computer, database computer, fdeas processor and
so on.
Caxton software has become one of the leading
suppliers of software for the PCWS256. This month
they have donated one of each of their top selling
programs to be used as a prize in our competition.
The first correct entry will win a copy of Cardbox,
Scratchpad plus, Brainstorm, Touch n' Go and
SmartKey. This is a prize worth nearly £350, The five
runners up will each win a copy of Touch 'n' Go.
All you have to do to enter this competition is
answer the seven questions which appear below. To
answer question seven simply telephone Caxton on
01 ”379 6502 and ask the name of the person on the
end of the line, (The other end - Ed). The closing date
for the competition is Tuesday, April 29. Good Luck.
The Questions
1. Caxton was the first English printer. What was his
first name?
2. Caxton software use The Thinker' as a logo for the
'Brainstorm' ideas processor. Who sculpted 'The
Thinker'?
3. Touch 'n' Go makes using any kind of typewriter
keyboard easier. Who invented the typewriter?
4. All the Caxton software for Amstrad computers
runs under CP/M, What does CP/M stand for?
5. What is the theoretical maximum number of
records that can be stored using Cardbox?
6. What is special about the way Scratchpad uses its
memory?
7. Name someone who works for Caxton.
Rules
1. Only one entry per person. You may photocopy
the form, but anyone submitting more than one form
will have all entries disqualified.
2. The judges' decision is final.
3. No employees of Amstrad, Amstrad User, nor
their relatives or friends may enter.
4* Entries should be sent to: Caxton CompeMon,
Amstrad User, f69 K/ngs Brentwood^ Essex
CM 14 4EF.
t Answers ,,,
I Name_ ■
! 1—-Address__ !
2 ,
3 .
4.
5.
6 .
7.
L.
__
XXIX--------
IF YOU REALLY WANTTO KNOWTHAT
THE PROGRAM YOU BUY WILL MATCH
YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND YOUR WALLET
THE UK'S NO. 1 SOFTWARE DEALER Limited
ANDTAKEALOOKATTH IS SELECTION
JvWlV^Wvu, FOR THE PCW 8256
\ FRE E
^ . > Sage "Popular" Accounts . ..€99,95
5 90 Dav Hotline' < Sage'Popular'Payroll .£69.95
y support provided with > g^gg 'Popular' Invoicing and Stock Control . £69.95
a agesoft > Sage "Popular" Combo ('Popular'Accounts/Payroll) . £149,95
^ y and Stock Controf) ..*.... . £149,95
^ -nMc Tn n Sage Super Combo {'Popular' Accounts/Invoicing
> OME TO ONE' % and Stock Control/Payroll) . £199.95
> Mailbox worth E50 ^ Sage Accounts Statement Paper per 1000 sheets. £40,00
^ with every 'Chit Chat' > paysjjpsper 250 .......... £12,50
package. ^ gggg Reirieve Database . £69.95
^ Sage'Chit Chat" Viewdata (ie. Prestel) .........£69.95
< Sage'Chit Chat"... ^ Sage'Chit Chaf E Mail .............. £69,95
Vh® ability to send S Sage Chit Chat" Combo (Viewdata and E Mail) . £99,95
^ a TELEX for ^ Sage Modem with Viewdata or E MaiMrequires RS232) ....... £199.95
P Sage Modem with Viewdata and E Mail (requires RS232) .. £239.95
RS232 Interface
DR CBasic Compiler ...
.£49.95
The Cracker ..
. £49,00
Printer Cables
DR Graph .
.£49.95
Saxon Flexl-File ...
. £49.95
Printer Ribbons
3" Disks
DR Pascal/MT+.
.£49.95
Compsoff Delta .....
.. £99.95
Tractor Feed Paper
DR Draw ..
.£49,95
Supercalc II
. £49.95
Labels
Caxton Cardbox..
.£99,95
Locoscript Tutorial
. £9.95
CP/M PLUS Books
Caxton Touch "N" Go ...
.£24.95
AT LAST .
. £49.95
3" Disk Boxes (hofds 30)
Caxton Scratchpad ....
.£69,95
AT LAST is a fully relational
Dust Covers
Caxton Smart Key If ...
. £49.95
database Including
up-to-date
Caxton Brainstorm
..,...£49,95
sorting on pre-defined keys.
For the Service you've always
wanted but couldn't find!
DemoFtstr^tiQns fnstaf^atrons carried aut if necessary.
382 Kings Road
Chelsea
London
SW3 5UZ
Tel: 01-352 9220
14 Thames Street
Kingston Upon Thames
Surrey
KT1 1PE
Tel: 01-541 4911
47 Cheap Street
Newbury
Berkshire
RG14 5BX
Tel: 0635 31696
Mail Ordar Wdcoma
ACCESS and VISA or chaquas fo 'Software Crty'
Trade and Export enquiries welcomed.
XXX
:- M^p wrSa-
i Cjcp»4t fclflT-HjH
PCW
8256
rfiS BiJ i^iiti* *Mt b ta rtlurt +5 ■;
r 11 14 trip Tit ti :p!«i4!C! I
SBttiS
cambase database
stock control
invoicing
sales ledger
purchase ledger
nominal ledger
payroll
★ full use of all 8256 features
if set up file sizes
★ any disc drives
★ single key commands
★ export data
★ large screen displays
★ cursor controlled editing
Send for data sheet to:
t^ambrian Software Works Ltd, Unit 2 , Maenofferen
Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales, UK.
AMSTRAD AUTHORISED DEALER
HARROW
AMSTRAD AUTHORISED REPAIR CEIXITRE
PCW Second Disk Drive ...f 138
PCW Modem/Printer Interface.£59
PCW8256 with 512k .
RAD
SYSTEMS
Tel;01-S6a2S59 ^
DELIVERY:£S. ADD 15% VAT.
RAD SYSTEMS
Business Technology Centre
111 High Street
Wealdstone
HARROW HA3 SDL
CPC 6128
rPf* ARA
THE NEW PCW 82561!
• JOYSTICKS • SPEECH SYNTHESISERS
• MP2 COLOUR MODULATORS
• “SUPER POWER” EXPANSION KITS
• ARNOR-MAXAM, UTOPIAAND PROTEXT
— AVAILABLE ON DISK AND CASSETTE —
OS ..« OS.. nOS..Pi os.. PL os.. PLOS.. pi OS..PL
A WIDE RANGE OF SOFTWARE FROM
WORD PROCESSORS TO GAMES
ALL GAMES AT BUDGET PRICES:
ATlOASTS^PfH
NOW IS THE TIME TO CALL IN AT:
BUDGET
SOFTWARE
CENTRE
51 FENNEL STREET
MANCHESTER M4 SDY
OR TEL: 061 >834 2808
PCW8256 + CPC6128
PROFESSIONAL CP/M + SOFTWARE
DATABASE SYSTEMS
CarcibQx. £99.99
Delta 1.25 . El 14.95
Sage . E69.99
Cambase . E49.95
Flaxifile .. £49.95
SPREADSHEET
-k MODELLING
Supercalc 2. £49.96
Mulfiplan.. E1S2.85
Scratchpad + £69.99
Cracker...£49.00
COMMUNICATIONS
Chit-Chat'E-mgil' .. £69.99
Chit-Chat Viewdata' . £69,99
ACCOUNTING
Sage Popular
Accounts . £99.99
Stock + Invoicing ... £69.99
Accounts Plus ..... £149.99
PayroU... £69-99
{SagosQft Hat/ine support}
UTILITIES/ LANGUAGES
DrDraw/Graph .... £49/£49
Dr CBasic/Pascal ..£49/£49
Hisoft Pascal
30/"C'' . C39/C39
Hisoft Devpac
SO/Krxife . C39/£13
WORD PROCESSING
Pocket’Wordstar .. £119.00
New Word . £69.00
(RS232, MODEM,2nd DRIVE, DMP2000-Pleaaa call}
J
FREE — blank data disc or eoftwara ovar £50 |
EXTRA READING
CP/M Plus Handbook £9,95 CP/M Bible . £15.95
CP/M Software Bus.. £8.95 SoglofCP/M . £14.95
Supercalc Delta, Data, Si You ... £9.95
Supermodals ..... £15.95 8256 dust cover set £14,95
We also stock a large range ofCPC464/6f 28 software,
flOMs hardware^ books + accessories - incfi/ding Amor,
Progfem Power, Beebugscft and Tasman products — Piaasa cstL
UK prices inciuSiva of VAT + postage.
MICROWAY COMPUTERS Tel:
39 High Stre^t^ Rainhom, Kent, 0934 376702
ACU ADVERTISERS’
BUSINESS INDEX
Amstrad ..
. (\1II/IX)
Box .....
. (XXVU)
Camsoft ..*.
. (XXXI)
Caxton...
.. (XV) (xxm)
Celcom ...
. (xxxn)
Compact...
.(xxvn)
Connect .....
.(xxvni)
Data Soft .......
.(xn)
DKTronics..
.(xvi/xvn)
Gteyfield........................
.(xxvn)
Metyclean .
.. (XVIU)
Micro-Way...
. (xxxn)
Newstar ....
. (IV)
Northern Comp .
. (n)
Pace..............
. (vn)
Quest...
.. (XXIV/XXV)
Rad Systems ...
. (XXXII)
Sage Soft.
. (XI)
Software City...
. (XXX)
Speedysoft...
. (XXI)
Wrexham...
.(xx\7n)
-XXXII
competitionI
£2000
Software Competition
Competition time again* Lots of entries this
month and of the usual high standard* There
were some outstanding programs this time and
of course they have scooped the prizes.
Galaxians Revenge, by K,N. Khalique of Batley,
West Yorkshire, stood out as an excellent game suitable
for publishing. It is a Space Invader type shoot-em-up.
Nothing special about that you say. Okay, so it's not the
most original idea, but an old idea presented well is still
a playable and interesting game. Ail the ingredients
were there, good colourful graphics, good sound effects,
good response to the player.
The idea of the game, for those who have never seen
Galaxians, is that alien invaders from another planet
(the same one you've been on if you've ever seen
Galaxiaml are swooping down, dropping bombs on your
laser cannon* You have the ability to move the laser
cannon left and right to dodge the bombs and of course,
fire back. When you have destroyed all the alien ships
you get to meet the second wave, and so on.
Mr Khaiique’s game uses Basic, to do all the tricky
stuff like taking one away from your lives, and then
machine code to generate the sprites on the screen. The
whole lot goes together in a neat little package that is
just right.
Racer, by K. Murfitt, is a formula one motor racing
simulator, W'ritten entirely in Basic, it really shows
what can be done without resorting to machine code.
There are four circuits to choose from, some trickier with
more bends, than others. The main part of the game
shows you the rear of the car and the track ahead.
As you progress around the course you must overtake
the opposition cars and avoid crashing into them*
Corners must be taken at a safe speed or you will damage
the car* Too much damage has the same effect as an
outright crash, losing the game, Mr Murfitt uses ink
switching to get the speeding track effect.
The third contender for our prize is Space Mania,
written by Neil Kolban of Glasgow. Neil’s game is a Jet
Set Willy type of game, where the main charcter has to
find his way around several screens of obstacles by
running and jumping, left and right. We particularly
like the catchy tune that continually plays through the
game.
The final verdict of the judges is to award Neil Kolban
£800, and K*N. Khalique and K. Murfitt £600 each.
Those people that didn't win needn’t feel down¬
hearted. I often feel it's a real achievement to even finish
a program. There is always the temptation to add a bit
more and gild the lily. This is something that usually
leads to poorly written and very long programs.
This can be avoided by doing 90 per cent of the work
on paper* Planning your program and deciding exactly
how it is going to look when it’s finished is a worthw-hile
thing to do. Writing a program is a bit like making a
model from a kit. If you start off by gluing bits together
piecemeal you will end with a mess* If you sort out which
bits go with which other bits and put them together in
small assemblies. Then put all the small assemblies
togetherj you will end with a much tidier result.
So get out those pencils and paper and let's see some
really good entries this time.
Amstrad User April 86
Page 47
GR<flX
NB^
Amstrad musicians
take up the baton...
Having produced the best graphics
software with light pen control, which
has yet been seen on the Amstrad, the
Electric Studio have commissioned the
first iight pen controlled Music
Package, which also looks set to
become the market leader.
The MUSIC BOX is available on
cassette or disc ar^d boasts an
impressive list of features, which
include:
464, 664 and 6128 compatible.
3 channel polyphonic sound.
Tone and volume Envelope Designer.*
Internal storage of approximately 8000
notes.
Print out of musical score.
Save score and envelopes to tape or
disc.
Use envelopes in own program.
Any key or time signiature,
Automatic bar line insertion.
Easy to use Icons with llg ht pen control
option.
Cursor music editor.
Share memory of channels In any
combination,
Playback; Tempo: Key transposition:
Octave.
Demonstration music included.
* The Envelope Designer uses the light
pen to drawthe graph of the envelopes
— no numbers to enter. Sounds can be
played while envelopes are edited.
The package can be controlled by
either the ESP or DKtronics light pen;
by joystick; or by cursor keys which
will help all users get the full benefit
from the various functions of the
program.
the program will work
WITHOUT A LIGHT PEN AND CAN BE
PURCHASED SEPARATELY FOR USE
WITH JOYSTICK OR KEYBOARD,
The MUSIC BOX is priced at £9,95 fo-r
the cassette program or £16.95 for the
disc version and for a limited period
the MUSIC BOX plus an ESP Light Pen
will be available for the price of £19.95
with cassette software or £29.96 with
disc based software.
Don't worry Joyce—
you're not forgotten!
Final development work which will allow
the ESP Light Pen to interface with the
Amstrad 8256 "Joyce" machine. Is now
nearing completion at ESP's research and
development facility. If you thought that
people just go to sle^p in Beds, then you'll
be surprised at the activity taking place in
Luton!
A pimple to use graphics program, based
on the successful format of the ESP range
for Amstrad home computers, wiH soon be
available which will transform your simple
word processor into a graphically
ifluminating experience.
Many 3256 owners witt need a graphicB
cspabfiify 3nd shoufd find the new Light Pen
pragrem an extremeiy useful work toof for
their business or leisure use.
World First for British Company!
At a Press Conference held earlier this week. The Electric Studio announced
the launch of the first ever, pixel accurate light pen for the Amstrad, for
under £20.
This major breakthrough has been achieved through extensive
development of their product since its introduction in September 1986, and
IS the culmination of months of vvork by the technical department.
The Technical Director of the company was quoted as saying "Up to now
pixel accurate pens for freehand drawing were priced around the £40 mark.
We can now produce a light pen capable of total accuracy, fora price that no
other light pen manufacturer gets near,"
Thecompanycorfirmedihatthe ESP "PIXEL" Light Pen was available for
£19.95 complete with the cassette software package that has proven to be
the market leader.
They stressed that the accuracy would be available on both mono and
colour rnonitors and the CPC 6128 machine specific program with freehand
draw ability, wall now retail at £29*95 with software on disc.
All future products, commencing with the "PIXEL” pen will be released
with French, German and Spanish versions of both program and manual, as
The Electric Studio recognises the importance of the European involvement
with the Amstrad./Schneider range of computers.
Continued support for
existing ESP users
Because of the launch of the new
freehand drawing "PIXEL" pen, the
Electric Studio will offer a special
upgrade facifity for existing users of
the ESP character accurate Light Pen.
The Upgrade will provide modified
pen and software which will transfornn
the unit to a freehand drawing
instrument, while the full graphics
capabilities of the program remain the
same.
Any owner of an ESP character
accurate pen, whether in the UK or
elsewhere can benefit from thie offer
by observing the following conditions;
All returns to The Electric Studio, PO
Box96, LutorfLU3 2JP.
Cassette Software: Return the Light
Pen only,
Disc Software: Return the Light Pen
plus a disc and state type of computer.
Any user who has upgraded to a CPC
6128 computer since purchasing a
Light Pen will be supplied with a 6128
program provided a blank disc
accompanies the returned Light Pen.
Terms and Conditions of Upgrade:
aj The pen must be in working order.
Electric Studio to
support US Giant
G12B owners who have purchased or
are considering the purchase of the
Digital Research program OR Draw
win be delighted by the news of the
availability of an ESP Enhancement
Pack.
This comprises a pixel accurate fight
pen with GSX driver on disc, which will
allow total control of DR Drew using
the light pen instead of cursor key
controls.
The cursor is controlled by the light
pen which gives almost instant access
to all parts of the screen, making menu
selection a much speedier process and
thus giving additional flexibility to the
overall package which is an invaluable
time saver for the program user,
8256 users can look forward to a
similar enhancement kit being
available shortly.
b) Returned units should be mailed In
protective packaging, i.e. Jiffy Bag
orsimilar.
c) State clearly name, address and
model of computer.
d) Enclose a cheque or P.O. for £5.00
for delivery within the U.K. or £7.00
for overseas delivery.
Advertisement Please send the items indicated: *
"PIXEL" light pen (464 cassette! £19.95 □ .....
"PIXEL" light pen (464.^664 disc} £29.95 □ Address ......
"PIXEL" light pen (CPC 6128 disc} £29.95 □
ESP Enhancement Kit for DR Draw £29.95 □ .. .
MUSIC BOX Program on cassette £9.95 □ .....-....
MUSIC BOX Program on disc £16.95 □ ChequeyP.O. for £ .isenclosed
ES Pen + MUSIC BOX (cassette! £19.95 □ „
Debit my Access^Visa
ES Pen + MUSIC BOX (disc} £29,95 □
UPGRADE SERVICE for "PIXEL" pen ..
{MUST INCLUDE RETURNED UNIT)
U.K. £5.00 C Oversees £7,00 □ r -9 \
THE ELECTRIC STUDIO
24 HOUR
CREDIT CARD
HOT-LINE P O. BOX 96. LUTON LU3 2JP
TEL; 0582 595222
FEATUREI
Shutting
the
v«nde^*
Richard Sargent concludes his
series on pull down windows.
Last month we looked at routines which read a character
square (CALL &9000) and saved the information found
there in user defined graphic number 255* There was
also, on a larger scale, a routine which read a rectangular
portion of the screen (CALL &9OC0) and saved the
information found there in RAM. The screen
manipulation techniques in these routines require only a
small amount of tweaking to enable them to be used as
the basis for some interesting programs. This month we
round off the series on windows by looking at a program
which brings 'pull down menus' to the Amstrad*
Pull down menus
A pull down menu (PDM) is a panel of text, usually in
the form of a list of options which can be called to the
screen instantly. When you've finished with the menu
the screen reverts to its original state* The pull down
menu is generally recognised to be a good thing, and
since it’s part of the 16 bit micro revolution, no
manufacturer of a new computer would want to be
without some. However, memory restrictions, and, to a
lesser extent, the lower screen resolution of the 8 bit
micros has tended to exclude the pull down menu Irom
the home micro scene, and unless you're lucky enough to
own a mouse and some icon driven software to go with it,
the chances are you won’t have seen menus rolling down
from the top of the Amstrad screen*
Using the software presented here, you can now
incorporate pull down menus into your own program.
Two extensions to the screen save routine are needed,
but last month’s code at &90C0-&;9135 is substantially
unchanged. Also, the area referred to as general RAM, in
which parts of the screen are stored, is retained at
&6D0O-&8F2O.
How then will the pull down menu system work? The
menu must not destroy what’s on the screen* A routine
must therefore save that part of the screen where the
menu is going to appear, and restore everything to
normal afterwards* A pull down menu on the Amstrad
CPC computers won’t be as fast as those on the 16 and 32
bit machines, but there's no way around this problem
other than to keep the menu reasonably small*
Sometimes it is useful if the pull down menu is
available at ail times, regardless of what task the
computer is currently doing. If you want this feature, (it
is optional) then the pull down menu code must be tied
into the computer's interrupt system* This is done by a
special piece of code called the interrupt service routine.
Assuming you go for this fully fledged system of
interrupt control, the sequence of events for the whole
pull down menu program'looks something like this:
1* The interrupt service routine is called every^ fiftieth
of a second. It checks keys fl, f2, f3 and f4 to see if a
menu needs to be “pulled down’'.
21 A screen segment is saved to general RAM at
&6DOO.
3. The menu is moved to VDU RAM,
4* The foreground program is now effectively frozen,
and will do nothing. If the foreground program were
allowed to continue (which is technically possible by
altering the interrupt service routine program
slightly) it might print data over the menu and
destroy it!
5. The in term pt service routine now looks for key press
fO, which will remove the menu*
6. The original screen segment is restored to VUU
RAM.
7. The interrupt service routine is now finished, and
the foreground program continues.
Some users might like to dispense with the interrupt
arrangements. It is perfectly acceptable to use the same
machine code routines to produce a pull down menu in
response to a standard INPUT or INKEY8 command
and such an application will be explained before the
more complicated interrupt version is considered. When
this more straightforward module is debugged and
working satisfactorily the system can be transferred to
interrupt control; but first, let's look at the pull down
Amstrad User April 86
Page 49
r£"
1013 fl£^ HZ0.BAS PULi*&OWN-MEfflf OE^JGNCA
llfl fl£n HtNOdT i*CFF;LOAB "Mifl.BIW"'
1?0 KElf BEF 15,#,32:ltElf BEf
CEF
U13 KEV BEf 5,fl,if:KEt CEF ?0,0,3£
UJP£a*fl10B:CflEftTE*S92B*;PPBftSE = 49157
tSe CLSilMPUI "NO-frE 1 OR M<1 OP
tHEH GOTO- 15fl
Id* INPUT -BEPTH OF flEHU 1 * 7 '';P
170 IF 0 <\ DR B^7 Then goto IAS
1EB 'rB-I3^3~<<l>i'2MTAn/?;E=DFl
190 FiDBE HiBOftBER 9
?DD IF m=i THEN DOSUB JOfl
?10 IF F1»1 THIN 4DSUB A3e
2?0 (.OtAIE 1,0+3
?J0 PRIUtT ■' rtENUi 1
iAfl PRINT '■ MENU 2 • ■
250 Xf H-^1 THEN PHINTzGQTD ?P0
2A# PRINT ■' MENU 1
270 PfejNT " HENU
290 PRINT
£90 WINBOy A?,1,60,D+3,?t
300 VINPOU T^iBf22,£i
310 PAINT #2,^'TTPE 1,2,3 Ofi 4 TO SELECT
T»E HENU-SDa roU WISH TO NORlC ON,"
320 PHIHT #2,"TOU HAT TtP£ INSIBE THE 00
!l ANO use THE cBEL? Ktlf,"
llfl PRINT r?,"TH£ <ENTE(!> K.£t TAKES TDU
Out OF THE SO}!''
340 PRINT tf£,"TrF£ 10,20,30 OR 40 TO HDV
E A BOK TO THE HACHIHE CODE PflOCR
AH"
3S0 PRINT fl2,"TTPE TO RETMRM TO BASIC
3S0 PRINT #2,"TlfPE aa TO SAVE TO TAPE OH
AIS:"j
170 LOCATE 1,2
300 Input a
190 IF TM£H HOBE NjSTOP
400 IF rt=1 AND OR Ai4J THEN SOTO 30
410 tf H=t AND CA'IB Ofi A*401 ThEN OOTO
3S0
420 IF A=1 THEN UIMBON R 1 ,2,19,£,E:QOTO
S'60
4.30 IF imz THEN y]NBOH # 1 ,22,19,2 ,E : GOTO
1B0
^^0 IF A = 3 THEN UINDOy f 1 ,42,50,?,i:GOTO
5B0
450 IF A=4 THEN yjNOOW R1,i2,70,2,E:GOTO
540
4A0 IF A=10 ANB M»1 ThEN St=pPBflSE+40:N=
PPBASE+42iGOTO 540
470 IF Ji-10 AND iH = 2 THEN ST-PPBAS E : N-PPB
ASEt2:GQT0 540
440.JF 4=20 ANO B=1 THEN ST = PPBA5Et50-N =
PPBaSE+5£:GQT0 540
490 IF AB20 AND n = 2 THEN 5T= PPaASE* 1 0 : H=.
PPBA5E*T2;SaTa S49
S00 IF fl = 30 ANB M = 2 THEN ST«PPBASE+20-N«
PPBASE+22jdCTD 540
510 IF A^40 AND THEN ST=PPBASE+30 } N =
PPaflSE+12:GOTO 540
520 REN IF .4-66 THEN SAVE ''PT EKT . B | N" ,B,
fiT6A0,5T*0
530 goto 330
S40 POKE N,Tfl-{IhlT (T0/2S6J*25fi>
550 POKE N+ 1 ,]NT( rB/35S)'
5*0 CALL CREAT£,ST rSOTO 3^0
5 70 t
530 cls fliiLiNE Input ri aSegoiq 3S0
590 FOR 5( = J TO 656 STEP 160
600 PLOT )(,392lG0&UB *20;NEKT
610 HfTURN
620 BHAWR 152,0:BRAyR 0,- 16 + f;DRAWR -15?
,B:BRANR 0,1*At:RErUFN
*30 PLOT 3,192;G05Ue 640 :PlOT 322,392’00
5UB 640:RETURN
640 DRAMR 315,0;PRAyR 0 , ‘16*fIBRABR -3t5
,0;DRAHfl e, 16**:aETllRN
Lisfijpi^ ]
menu designer, which is a straightforward Basic
program.
Type in Listing 1(M20*BAS), complete with the HEM
statements. When the Basic has been loaded^ type RUN
and in answer to the prompt ‘‘MODE 1 OR 2?'' type 2,
and to the prompt ‘‘Depth of menu 1-7?'' type 7. The
menu designer will appear on the screen, and by
following the instructions given, one or more menus can
be written.
You should experiment with various depths of menu
in both modes 1 and 2 to get the feel of the designer. The
editing facilities are somewhat limited and you need to
remember to avoid the natural reflex of preaaing the
Enter key to go down a line while in the process of typing
the menu contents. Once you have taken the cursor
outside the menu box (which is achieved by pressing
Enter) you canY get back in. You may use the arrow keys
to move the cursor around inside the menu box.
The largest pull down menu which can be designed is
18 characters wide and 7 lines deep. There is always a
border around the text, so in fact the total area of the
pull down menu is 20 columns by 9 rows. The border is
drawn by the subroutine at lines 590-640, using a value
of E computed in line 180. E is simply the depth of the
menu (D) plus one. Either line 200 or line 210 calls the
relevant border drawing routine, depending on which
screen mode has been selected* A more important task of
line ISO is to inform the machine code routine which
pixel line represents the bottom of the menu:
YB=(398^((D-H2)n6))/2
Lines 220-370 are general prompt messages, while lines
380-530 deal with the options of design, create, and save
menu. Lines 540-560 pass critical information about the
size and number of the menu to the pull down menu
machine code. CALL CREATE, ST creates a pull down
menu. This code should be protected by a REM until the
machine code is loaded, otherwise the computer will
crash. Line 580 is the entire pull down menu editor and is
essentially a LINE INPUT command acting on a
specified window.
Pull down menu machine code
The pull down menu system works independently of the
Basic designer, and occupies &1F6 bytes of code.
Page 50
Unfortunately, the storage area required for the four
menus brings the total number of bytes required up to
&26B5, but there’s not much you can do about this
factor unless you have a 6128 or a memory extension
pack and are also happy about paging in the extra banks
of RAM at machine code level. The source listing
(Listing 2) of the pull down menu code is given in full so
that hardy programmers can convert the code to handle
menus which are stored in the alternate 64k RAM. At
this stage the protective REM at line 560 should be
removed from the designer program, and the loader
program (listing 3) used to load the machine code bytes.
The designer can then be RUN again and an
experimental menu 1 and menu 2 created (the screen
mode you use doesn’t matter). Then the machine code
can be put to work.
The first place to start investigating the code is at
&9206, the create routine. This routine receives the
variable ST from the Basic menu designer and
immediately transfers the value into the HL register.
HL now points to one of six tables. Let’s assume for the
sake of argument that the value of ST was such as to
point HL at the table M2B1A at &9137, M2B1 simply
stands for Mode 2, menu block 1. It’s a data table of five
numbers and it specifies the size and position of Menu 1
on a Mode 2 screen. M2BlAholds the address where pull
down Menu I will be stored when it’s created.
The pull down Menu 1 coordinates then follow -
M2B1YB holds the bottom pixel coordinate of the Y
axis, M2B1YT holds the top of the Y axis, M2B1XL
holds X axis left, and M2B1XR holds X axis right.
The create routine moves these 10 bytes of M2B1
information into a special holding area labelled PP.
We are now almost ready to move the newly created
menu from the screen into general RAM. A quick call to
ROM establishes the screen mode, and this is placed in
the B register. The direction of transfer of information is
from VDU RAM to general RAM, so register C is set to 0.
With PP, reg B and reg C now all valid, the general
purpose routine MV_[T can be used to move the
necessary bytes and so create the menu,
A quick look at MV_JT at &90D5 now revals what is
happening . MV^TT is simply part of last month’s code,
where it was used in support of the Basic command
CALL &90C0,D,XR,XL,YT,YB,ADDR, Now at this
point I would normally say that those readers following
Amstrad User April 86
lJs r
1 b£
P«M 11
fall LBBIE
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py
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rand
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nEBjA
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IRIIKB
tE !I>R!CJmAl LCREEH
RET
LP A.A
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y]PC
L* bE.fP
i-SHDFF
L b H L * 1 [ c*. a i D ( K
Ld A.(FPit)
h.?B3KH
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PUSH DE
CAIL tBlDb ^AL del FRAP^L FlY
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RET
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CALL MV It
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CHS
Listing 2
the series should already have the code from &90C0 to
&9135 in their computer, or tucked away on tape or disc*
This was the intention, but a slight imperfection in the
original code around &90ED has meant that two extra
bytes have had to be squeezed into the program at this
point, lengthening the routine and upsetting the values
of the seven relative jumps which occur later.
In practical terms the original code saved portions of
the screen quite happily until it enountered screen
locations in a certain range^ whereupon it refused to do
the save. The routines used to test CALL &90C0 didnT
use the critical screen locations and in consequence the
bug didnT show up. The missing bytes are 20 05, a Jump
Relative If Non-Zero instruction.
This month there are six entry points to the machine
code* We have already met the first, CALL &9206,ST,
which in conjunction with the menu designer creates the
menu. Four separate calls invoke the menu of your
choice. CALL &9X75 pulls down menu block number 1,
CALL &9185 pulls down block 2, CALL &9195 pulls
down block 3 and CALL &919A pulls down block 4. Try
CALL &9175 - menu 1 should come down* CALL&9185,
Menu 11, will now not ivork, since you can only have one
menu on screen at any given time. Use CALL &91DB to
wipe the menu from the screen. The original screen
contents should be restored and if you type CALL
&9185, menu 11 should drop down.
Once you have finished working with the Basic
designer, it can be erased by command NEW. Your
Basic programs can now use CALL &9185 (or any of
menu calls) to pull down a menu and CALL &91BD to
push it back up. Listing 4 shows a possible program
segment which will handle a tranditional list of options
menu. In the example of listing 4, option number one
lists the program to the printer, and option seven simply
pushes up the menu. Options 2-6 are not implemented.
May I interrupt?
Locomotive Basic runs amidst a constant flow of
interruptions, most of which take place privately within
the computer and are transparent to the user* If you've
used the EVERY or AFTER commands you have
already added your own Basic interrupt routines to
those implemented by the ROM operating system and
it’s almost as simple to add machine code interrupt
routines to the system. There is one important
difference, if the routine fails to work first time and the
result of that failure is a program crash, then the
debugging procedure is horrendously complicated*
The main task of converting the menus to interrupt
control falls to the Keys routine at &921F. It is this
routine which scans the keyboard looking for the
keypresses which signify ‘T want a menu now’". The
routine must deliver the correct menu, and also tidy up
the screen afterwards*
The first thing you’ll notice in Keys is that all the
Page 51
Amstrad User April 86
--. . po-. Ki- ^
r?"
*■-■-:
BAUAKUldfiaMU
I.UMI,(1IW,I,<JIS.IS^
“.IS!
ustanfsan
.‘.m.
■ Of- ■
. JWU4Mjy«!.
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■:■:”:■■!■: ■:■- -E-i'--^ i
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registers are saved, an essential operation for an
interrupt routine, and failure to do this will certainly
lead to frequent and fatal program crashes. Next, four
CALLs to &BB1E establish whether the function keys
fl, f2, f3 and f4 have been pressed. If they haven^t, an
immediate exit from the interrupt routine is made via
label KCONT, and the foreground program is allowed to
continue, If one of the keys is found pressed, the relevant
pull down menu routine ia called* though you won't see
any CALL code in the routine. In case this puzzles you,
consider the teat for key number 13, the fl key. The code
is:
LD HL^K FIN: K Fl?<r j;? the address where the program flow must po to after
PUfiH HC :{and if) the jump to i&9175 is made,
;The PUSH puts the address on the staek,
[.D A, 13 lA call to with the A register eorrectEy loaded
CALL &BB1E tests the fl key
JP NZ,&917& ;lf n prefaced, jump to Che pull down menul routine;
:sc the end of the pull down menul routinei the RE-T
; instruction will cause a return to label KFIN
If any pull down menu routine is called, then the
program sits in the KFIN loop, waiting for the fO key to
be pressed* whereupon the menu will be removed with a
CALL to &91DB.
The next step is to tell the computer that the Keys
routine exists, and this is handled by a piece of code
which asks the computer to add keys to the list of
routines which are called regularly on interrupt. This is
accomplished from Basic with a call to ISROM
(Interrupt Service Routine ON). A call to ISROFF at
&926C will remove Keys from the list, thus switching
the pull down menus off. An alternate interrupt service
routine is provided, which doesn’t hold up the
foreground program to any great extent. It's called
NO WAIT and can be patched into the interrupt service
routine* thus replacing the Keys routine, by the direct
Basic command POKE &92eB*&7A. Now if you press
function key fl menu one drops down* but the main
program is not halted» fD pushes up the menu as usual.
Active menus
In normal use the interrupt driven menu is probably
best used for prompts* providing, for example, two Help
menus if you’re in Mode 1. Help menus are passive
affairs, you look at them for information and that is all.
Seasoned machine coders will have already worked out
that it is possible to make the menus active rather than
passive. To do this* the Keys routine, rather than the
Nowait one is used, and a JUMP instruction is inserted
at &9247* the address of label KFIN, replacing the three
no-operation instructions which are there.
After a function key press has been detected and a
menu displayed, the program flow goes to KFIN and
then makes the jump to a new piece of code (which must
of course be written). This code should scan the
keyboard looking for a user’s response to whatever
instruction or options were contained in the pull down
menu and take appropriate action if certain keys were
pressed. This will all happen with the foreground
program suspended. All the extra code is technically a
gigantic interrupt service routine.
If it becomes too lengthy the computer may begin to
wonder if its every going to be allowed to service other
interrupts or get on with the main program. However
100
MEMORY S6CFF
110
RESTORE 150
120
FOR *
i=&90C0 TO a92B!
130
READ
AS: POKE
A,VAL<'
'S"
+ A$
3 :N
EXT
140
SAVE
''M20,BIN
.&90C0
.fil
F6:
STOP
150
DATA
DD,4E^0A
.0C,
21
.94
.78
,DD
.7E
.0
a,77,
*DD,23,23
.10,
F7,
CD
.11
,BC
.47
.3A
.94
160
DATA
7S,6F,3A
.95,
7S,
67
.E5
,DD
.E1
,3A
.9C
170
DATA
7S,5F,3A
7S,
57
,3A
.9B
,78
.92
.D
S,20.
.05
180
DATA
3A,9A,7e
.93,
D8,
3 A
,98
,78
.6F
.3A
.9
9,78,
.67,E5,C5
CD,
ID
.BC
.01
.C1
,ce
.41
190
DATA
28,06,DD
.7E,
00,
77
.18
,04
.7E
,DD
.7
7,00.
,DD,23,E1
3A,
97
.78
,BC
,20
.E0
.3A
200
DATA
96,7S,eD
.20.
DA,
78
.13
,FE
,00
,28
.c
0,13,
.13,13,F£
,01,
28,
B9
.13
.13
.13
.13
.18
210
DATA
03,00,00
yA0,
7B,
80
.00
.C7
,00
.9F
.0
0,00,
00,E0,83
.S0.
00,
C7
,00
.3F
.01
,A0
,00
220
DATA
40,7£,S0
.00.
C7,
00
,DF
.01
,40
.01
.0
0,89,
S0,00,C7
.00.
7F,
02
.E0
,01
,A0
.73
230
DATA
00,C7,00
.9F,
00,
00
,00
.E0
.83
,80
.0
0,C7,
00,3F,01
, A0,
00,
00
,00
.CD
.11
,BC
.3d :
240
DATA
23,05,21
.37,
91,
18
.111
.21
.5F
.91
.1
8,ie,
CD,11,BC
,3[>,
28,
05
.21
.^1
.91
,18
,0D
250
DATA
21,69,91
,18,
08,
21
,4B
.91
.18
.03
,2
1^55,
91,11,94
.78.
ED,
46
.73
.91
,AF
,B0
.B1
260
DATA
C0,22,73
.91,
D5,
DD
.E1
,01
,0A
,00
.E
D,B0,
CD,11,BC
.47,
DD,
6E
,00
,DD
,66
.01
.E5
270
DATA
21,00,6D
,DD,
75,
00
,DD
.74
.01
.0E
.0
0,CD,
D5,90,E1
,70,
32,
94
,78
,7C
.32
.95
,78
280
DATA
0£,01,CD
.l>5.
90,
£9
.11
,94
,78
.05
.6
D.E1,
2A,73,91
.AF,
B5,
B4
,C8
.01
,0A
,00
.ED
290
DATA
B0,CD,11
.QC,
^7,
21
,00
,6D
,DD
.75
.0
0,DD,
74,01,0E
.01.
CD,
DS
.90
.21
, 00
,00
.22
300
DATA
73,91,C9
.EB,
11.
94
.78
.01
,0A
,00
.E
D,00,
CD,11,SC
.47,
0E,
00
,CD
.D5
,90
.c:9
.F3
310
DATA
f5,£5,t>5
.C5,
DD,
E5
,21
.47
,92
.E5
.3
E,0D,
CD,lE,Be
,C2y
75,
91
.3E
,0E
,CD
.1E
,eB
320
DATA
C2,85,91
.3E,
05,
CD
,1E
,BB
.C2
.95
.9
1,3E,
14,CD,IE
.BB,
C2,
9A
.91
,E1
.18
.0D
.00
330
DATA
00,00,3E
,0F,
CD,
1 E
,BB
.28
,F6
,CD
.0
e,91.
DD,E1,C1
.di.
El,
Fl
,FB
.C9
,21
.71
.92
340
DATA
C0,DD,BC
,C9,
21,
71
.92
,06
.81
,flE
.0
0^iu
19,92,CD
.l>7.
BC ,
C9
,00
,00
,00
,00
.00
350
DATA
00,00,00
.00.
F3,
F5
.E5
.D5
.C5
,DD
.E
5,21,
AE,92,E5
.3 E ,
0D,
CD
.IE
,BB
.C2
.75
.91
360
data
3E,0E,CD
, I^E ,
3B,
C2
.91
.3E
.05
.c
8B,C2,95
.91,
3E,
14
.CD
.IE
,C2
.9A
370
DATA
91,3£,0f
,C0y
IE,
BB
,C2
,DB
.91
rEl
.D
D,E1,
C1,D1,E1
.FT,
FB,
C9
^listing ^
50 RE« KEYPRESS "1" PULLS DOWN PDM 1
100 AS=IN<EY$:JF AS <> "1" THEN GOTO 100
110 CALL a9175:REN PULL MENU OOWN
120 AS = INKEYS:IF A$ = "'' THEN GOTO 120
130 A=lNSTRt"1234567",AS)
135 REM 6 OPTIONS WITHIN TKE MENU
140 ON A GOTO 1000,2000,3000,4000,5000,6
000,7000
1000 CALL R91DB:LIST #8:ST0P
6950 REM OPTION 7 CANCELS THE MENU
7000 CALL &9lDBrREM PUSH MENU UP
Listing 4
this is something of a diversion. The pull down menu
system doesn’t have to run under interrupt, and in
Listing 4 where the menu is simply called by a line of
Basic, the menu is nevertheless fully active. It offers
options to which a keypress response is expected. How
you use the pull down menus in your programs, is, as
ever, entirely up to you.
ACU
Page S3
Amstrad User April 86
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Amstrad User April 86
Page 53
6 - 8 - 4-5
Who do ive
appreciate?
Graphics handling on the CPC machines is
as it stands, but with a tittle inside information
can get the display exactly as you want it. Chris
spills the beans
The screen display modes and format are
determined by a combination of the
firmware^ the infamous ULA and the
6845 cathode ray tube controlier*
It is possible to generate differing
displays by altering the standard con¬
figuration using either the 6845 or the
ULA, Unfortunately as soon as you start
to wander away from the standard
formats the firmware becomes prac¬
tically useless when addressing the
screen. In fact it can be positively
annoying because there is no way of
letting the screen know that you are going
to try something slightly different for a
change, so it assumes that everything is
tickety-boo, just as it was before.
Unsuspecting Arnold
The moral of this is that the techniques
discussed here are not for the faint
hearted, because once you start playing
around with the screen you're on your
Own, even Soft 158, cannot cope with the
things we are about to do to your
unsuspecting Arnold.
Having finished the public health
warning, it has to be said that there are
great rewards in terms of screen access
time that can be gained from this
approach.
There are 16 registers in the 6846
controller that are used to configure its
operation, and they are detailed in Table
L Although there is provision for a 6845
controlled cursor* this is not imple¬
mented in the Amstrad’s hardware and
so is of little use to the programmer.
To access the internal registers the
number of the required register must he
output to location &BC00 and the data to
he sent to the register is output at
location &BD00. As an example* suppose
that we wish to set the value of R13 to 5.
The following program sequence would
then be required.
L;» ; ICl I'lie nuabrp
T t f ST
DUT <C>,C
'L.D- ; tollow^d Kty ttie value
*UT tc>>c
Note the technique of setting the value
required into the C register. This is
possible because only the high byte is
significant in the I/O address for this
chip.
The fimt two registers that we shall
examine determine the positioning of the
display on the screen, The horizontal
syne position register (R2) allows the
display to be moved left or right.
Increasing it moves the screen to the left*
and decreasing it moves the screen to the
right. Similarly, the vertical sync
position register (R7) allows the display
to be moved up or down. Increasing it
moves the screen up and decreasing it
moves the screen down.
Several effects can be created by
altering the values of these.
Listing 1 is a program that bounces the
display around the screen. This feature is
sometimes used while a picture is being
drawn on the screen and stopped when
the drawing is complete, giving the
impression of a lot of activity whilst the
picture is being composed. By varying the height is always the same, Each of the
the values in the data table, different rows that make up the character is
effects can be created for example if the termed a raster, so there are normally
horizontal position is maintained con- eight rasters for each character, num-
stant, the screen can be made to shudder, bered 0-7 (see Figure 1).
This is often used in conjunction with
an explosion. It is worth mentioning that
altering only these registers does not
have an effect on the firmware which can
therefore still be used for writing to the
screen.
Before we move on to examining how
we can really change the screen display
format* let^s consider how the screen
memory addressing works. Each charac¬
ter cell is made up from an eight by eight
matrix* and although the width of each
character varies according to the mode* 16k of RAM is allocated for the screen
0 0
- Raster 0
0
0 0
0
- Raster 1
. 0
0
■ ^
0
0 .
- Raster 2
. 0
0
0
0 .
- Raster 3
. 0
0
0 0
0
0 .
-Raster 4
, 0
0
^ +
0
0 ,
-Raster 5
. 0
0
■ +
0
0 ,
- Raster 6 :
.
-
. .
■
’ ■
- Raster 7
Fhfure 1
Amstrad User April S6
Pai:e&4
FEATURE I
displayed in mode and halved for
mode zero. Care should be taken to yae
an even number if working in mode zero,
or half characters will appear at the end
of ISnes.
“Why?”, you may well ask, "would I
want to change the number of characters
in a line?” There are several possible
answers to this question. If the number of
characters per line is reduced, some
memory ia freed at the end of each 2k
block of the screen RAM. Note, however,
that this memory is not contiguous. A
particular application such as word
processing, may require more characters
to be displayed on a line than the
standard 80 that are available in mode 2.
A game that involves a lot of animation is
easier to write if the action is contained
within a smaller playing area.
The final reason for altering the screen
area is perhaps the most important, and
again we resort to the screen memory
map for its explanation. When directly
addressing the screen, the calculation of
the memory address is non-trivial, as
anyone who^s tried it will conrirm.
Basically, moving horizontally from
one pixel to another is simply a matter of
incrementing the address by one, two or
four depending on the screen mode, and
moving vertically within a character cell
requires the addition of 2k to move into
the next raster block.
Calcula ting the changes
JiAT
memory, which is divided into eight 2k
blocks, These each contain the informa¬
tion for one raster for the entire screen, so
block zero contains the information for
the top pixel row in all characters and
block seven contains the information for
the bottom pixel row in all characters.
When the information is displayed it is
read out of a raster block in consecutive
bytes up to the end of one line; the nest
byte then wraps round to the start of the
next line. If the end of a 2k block is
reached before the bottom of the screen it
wraps round back to the beginning of the
block. The important feature is that the
memory map is independent of the
number of ch 0 racter 8 displayed on a line.
This is where things can really start to
be fun. Having discovered that we are noi.
restricted to the standard number of
characters per line, let*a see how we set
about changing it. The registers con¬
cerned with the horizontal parameters
are the horizontal total register <R0) and
the horizontal displayed register (Rl).
RO is concerned with timing consider^
ations to ensure that the start of one line
is displayed correctly in relation to the
end of the previous one, and should not
normally be altered (although it can
produce some interesting effects). Rl is
the register that actually determines how
many characters are displayed across the
screen. The value it contains corresponds
to the number of characters in mode one.
This is doubled to obtain the number
The difficulty arises when moving
between character blocks vertically. The
offset required for this transition is
dependent upon the number of charac¬
ters displayed in a line because of the
wrap-round feature described earlier.
The default value for this is 80 to move
from one raster row to the corresponding
raster row in the choiracter cell below it
(there are 80 characters by default in
mode 2). The hex value for this offset is
&50.
To calculate the offset for a line 10
characters below the current one
therefore requires multiplying &50 by 10.
Although this is not beyond the realms of
human comprehension, it would be
much nicer to be multiplying by &40
when working in machine code, as all
self-respecting games programmers do.
This is comparable to multiplying by
either 10 or 13 in decimal - even I can
manage to stick a zero on the end of a
number.
The saving Is only a couple of bytea of
code for one operation, but when you’re
constantly accessing the screen the
difference really becomes noticeable -
ever tried playing Starion?
OK, so we've decided that we*d rather
be multiplying by &40, but what does
this mean? Well &40 is 64 in the real
world and this is the number of
characters that we want to display in
Amstrad User April 86
Page 55
FEATURE
1
::
.y:::
Listing 1,
; This pfogrs* bounces the displery
; Ih# screen. ^ data table contains,
; a series of values for the Horisontal
; and vertical sync positions with a null
; signifying the end of the table.
; The speed of the ^bouncing^ it
determined by the value o? the counter
; var i able-
£4060
i
Ha 1 If Ly
EQU
1BD19 ; HC_MA IT.FLireACi:
count# r
EdU
&4000 ; delay cuunter
r
BC^ £eC19'0
rtstar#
iO
HL.. CATA ; point to the data table
read i n
LIf
INC
Lb
OR
P/ {HL? ; read horizontal sync data
HL
A, S te^t for end of data
A
J R
restore ; if so go back to start
Lb
f. r tHL) ; read the venicaL syhc
INC
HL
i
CALL
waitfLy ; synchronise with
frame flyback
Lb
OUT
INC
OUT
bEC
C. 5
(C?^ C ; oet horizontal sync
B ; go to the data port
If), b
B ; back to address bbrt
i
Lb
OUT
INC
OVT
t, 7
(t)* C ^ set the yertical sync
e
bEC
B
CAUL
delay j wait a vhile
J R
readin ^ and go round Again
de Lay
Lb
D E ^ co'un t e r
F
d L o a p
Lb
OR
RET
PUSM^
POP
bEC
J R
A, b ; end of delay'?
E
I ; yes* then stop
NL ; else waste some time
nl
PE
dLoop ■ until its don*
&ATA
bEFB
bE FE3
DE FB
47,i1,46,
3e,4 7,Z9,.4fi,.2a,4 7,29,46,.30
4 5,2V,JH4,2fi,45,2 9',46,30,45,
151,44,52 ^4 5,31 ^46,30
Listing t
Register functlun
Default value
HO
Horizontfiil Total
63
Rl
Horizontal Displayed
40
R2
Horizontal Sync Position
46
R3
Hsync, Vsync Pulse Widths
&8E
R4
Vertical Total
38
R5
V ertical T otal Adjust
0
R6
Verti cal Displayed
25
R7
Verti cal Sync Posi tion
30
R8
Interlace and Skew
0
R9
Maximum Raster Address
7
RlO
Cursor Start Raster
_
Rll
Cursor End Raster
RI2
Start Address (High)
R13
Start Address (Low^
—
R14
Cursor Address (High)
R15
Cursor Address (Low )
Tofeie /,* The 684'^ iategal registers
mode 2,'which ia twice the value that
should be programmed into Rl. With a
dextrous piece of mental arithmetic we
deduce that we need to set Rl to 32. Now
having reset the number of characters
displayed on the line it has become
shorter, and so to restore a sense of
symmetry the display can be centred by
altering R2 to 42,
A similar piece of jiggerj'-pokery can
be performed on the number of rows
displayed, although in this case it is
relevant only for reduced playing area
and to release some memory. The
registers concerned are vertical total
(R4)t vertical total adjust {R5), and
vertical displayed (R6), R4 and, R5 are
again used for timing and R)6 is the one
that actually determines how high the
screen is. The value it contains corres¬
ponds directly to the number of character
rows on the screen. Here again the
display can be centred by altering the
value in R7,
There ia a second way that the vertical
display can be altered. If you recall each
character cell is made up of eight rows
with the rows corresponding to tasters
and the information for the rasters ia
stored in a 2k block. The number of
rasters displayed on each line Is
controlled by the maximum raster
address register (R9), The default value
is seveUf hence the eight rows (O'T), This
value can be varied; setting it to four will
cause only the top half of each line to be
displayed, whereas setting it to 16 will
cause each line to be displayed twice.
A bonus of using this method to reduce
the display is that for each raster
removed^ 2k of memory is liberated for
program use. There is, however^ a
drawback to this approach in that it
aft'ecta the overall timing of a frame, and
so when R9 is adjusted^ R4 and R5 must
be reprogrammed accordingly. As ever,
there is a magic formula which deter¬
mines what these should be^
B4 = rNT(312/(R9+l))
R5 = 3l2-(Ri>+l)*R4
These are simply calculated once the
number of rasters required has been
decided. Note that if the number of
rasters is increased, then multiple
images of the same line are created.
The start address registers (R12 and
Rl3) can be used to scroll the screen
either vertically or horizontally. Vertical
scrolling is achieved by altering the value
of the lower 12 bits by the length of a line
in bytes. The line length is twice the
value stored in Rl. Altering the lower 12
bits by anything other than a line length
will cause horizontal scrolling.
A combination of horizontal and
vertical scrolling can be achieved by
changing the offset by a value greater
than a line length, Bits four and five of
R12 are used to set the screen base to be
either &0000, &4000, &8000 or &.C000,
Registe^r R3 is used to set the pulse widths
given out by the 6845 at the end of every
lin e an d the end of every frame. These are
used by the internal hardware and
should not be altered from their default
values.
The final register (R8) ia used to
determine the type of scan that the
monitor uses. The Amstrad monitors all
use a non “interlace type and so this need
not normally be set, As a final effect,
however^ try setting this register value to
1 - you are advised to hold onto your
Page 56
A m gtr ad U ser A pr i 186
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Program allows detailed inspection and modification of
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LOAD DISK FILE; Load first sector into buffer and remainder to
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MAILING LIST AND CLUB
MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMME
Program handles thousands of name and address records
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make possible sophisticated selective exarriination, counting
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entry, allowing userto select 'key' word. Works with single and
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Main Comm ds ... ENTER: Data entry(*), GET: Load new
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HOW TO ORDER: Phone or Write to:
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Also available from Dealers.
Ring for latest catalogue and
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WHEN ORDERING PLEASE NOFTE:
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• Supplied with Database containing data on over 12,000
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Page 58
Amstrad User April 86
DISCOVERY
TRANSFER YOUR TAPE BASED
SOFTWARE TO DISC NOW
HANDLES SOME
TURBOIOADERS ALTERS
BASIC LOADERS to get
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When comparing DISCOVERY
WITH A Similair Program
AMTIX said T found
DISCOVERYJust a bit easy to
use’.
4S4i664 and 6128
TAPE £7.99 DISC ff 7.59
ROM £19.39
SIREN samvARE
f Off SPEfffY DELA/ERY SE W CHEOLIES /F.O.S. TO;
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-ami!-
DRAUGHTSMAN & GRAFMAN
i'fffi'iMtysrtssr'"
RMRIMillll
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Explore the true graphic potantial of your
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Writton l&y a qualilied ddiignof this program
is very voraalilo and usar Iripndly. Vour
facililie*.
is veri
AMSTPAD haa axcallwit graphic
Why not pul lham to work?
".. . en BxtrMieIr pand gieetiics aid".
.. the pruprai* i* Msy t-n use. Iht msfluai B easy (n lellow. and
The prBMfTtalifln O prjrfBaEinnur’, - Cmprtiuq. with (hi Amslrad,
Not. ' 35.
. . i[ If n<l la see E.6. CwipulP GrapliiES adUpl i ainererift
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GRAFMAN \i a pcrwerful Ird vatsalile fitnchmi plntur.
aavalopeit try a qualifiHl physicist tliis program is capaMa
dl draining aov DEFhalla fuGfliait- User access lo ai\
etieneiva raitgiR of 'tpilt-in' litnciiDus fjenaralizad
pvlyhomiala. trigomyrnBdric, aipaaRnliah'legaritlimdC.. irra'
ttaiial and imrersB. Cliaioe arf X-Y scale is witk ranging! and
apeciiic rangas can be delined ta display spy porlimt dI a
ojrua. Areas of high citrvaiure can be 'magnilaed' alEawing
lb« user tu 'Jinnifl-in' an feel rptits la a hiflii degree qI
flDcuracy. Sauei''iaBd scieen. User scraen dump aptinn.
Despita ibe cumplexitY oF tha prugram it ii vny uaar
friemJly. On-sctaan instructions caraFuHy uplam each siep
m^li^ this a Iruly valuebla and cducatiDnal utility.
Far FurthflnnlorrTretiQn S4ndi S-A.LTo order (ill intlieciMJipoi'.
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GRAPHICS
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Pteasff send me .cupy(s)CiF.
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□ Draughtsman(lape]...EISA'S
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... □ SraFmanitapef .-.. £9.95
Am s trad User April SG
Page 59
PCW8256 & CPC6128 SOFTWARE
FLEXIFILE I
£39.95
Files of u p to 6 5 ,(X)0 records or a 11 of one d isk, uses B-tree fast
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FLEXIWRITE I
£29.95
WordStar compatible with an easy to cse MENU structurer Online
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Ready built database templates for use witfi FleniFile or AMSOFTs
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an
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Load and list protected RASiC programs
All instructions are supplied orv disc on a separate help menu
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Page 60
Amstrad User April 86
REVIEW 1
. ffi 5-' y: ^ ; "..o li - v ■ JfS; .V.
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
[
COUTlUltt
cswTiifwe
COiTIWUE
(tiylLS TO
«1| JwIm. fi«
TAU CETI
A program from CRL, that is best classed as ^‘only pick me up
if you have a whole weekend spare”. As Elite, it is a genuine
epic, no way are you going to bla-st your w'ay through this in an
evening.
It looks fairly innocuous in its little black box, all snuggled
up with its instruction leaflet, But what a surprise you get
when you load it (and it will load, no fancy funny loaders, and
fully 664/6128 compatible). You have a bit of a graphic
adventure, screens of the interior of your hangars, a bit of a text
down the bottom^ re-definable keys, a veritable arsenal that
makes a Tornado' jet look tame and a little stf>T>^ to set the
scene.
As someone once said, “I’m gonna tell you a story + In 2050,
it says here, four close stars were colonised, including (where
have you seen this name before) Tau Ceti. Fifty cities were
started up on the third planet and then a plague hit, follow'ed
by a meteor, followed by a robot take-over bid. Everybody got
the measage and legged it at warp factor 9 to laze in the sun on
the beaches of Santraginus V, and get over it all with the aid of
a few Pan-galactic Gargk Blasters.
One hurtdred years later .. . Some mug (you) decides to have
a crack at re-coloniaing the planet, despite it having been
taken over by robots who think they can do better without
humans,
Gal-Corp. central (the same people who have wTitten “No
user serviceable parts - refer to qualified personal” on your
airlock) have issued a few guidelines to you on how^ to use the
jump pads, how to use an airlock, to look out for killer fleas and
a stern warning not to blast up tfX> many non-offensive
buildings as they do really want to colonise the place when
you ve finished with it.
The re&t of the leaflet has some piccys of what the graphics
are supposed to look like for the buildings. Places that can
restore and repair are shown but not all the buildings are
listed, neither are the fleas (sand hoppers, they call them),
mines or robot crawlers. You just have to find out from
experience. Good job you can save the game isn^t it?
Once you have rejigged the controls to work with a joystick
you tell it to launch, and have a nose around at the outside
world. Mostly tall buildings, with the odd dome and an
occasional thingy shooting at you, a bit like London really.
The outside world is displayed in an area about one quarter
the size of the screen in the top left corner. The way that the
airlock door smoothly slides up and down in this area is
beautiful to watch. There is a real-time clock in the top right
comer, and outside a sun is shining. It don't shine for long
though, the day is only one hour long and you’ll soon use that
up in this game. As you get closer to sunset, the surroundings
become more and more heavily shadowed, until they are only
visible because of the chunks they take out of the horizon. This
change is really gradual, not something that happens in a
flash.
The whole 3Dness of the view is very well done. Shadows
form on the right sides of the buildings, and as you fly round
them while looking out of the side viewport the shadow shrinks
and grows. Things get bigger and smaller as dictated by
perspective and explosions seem less severe when you are a
long way off.
To brighten the night up a little - so you can see who's
shooting at you clearly - you can drop a flare. You only get
eight of these and they don't last long, so you can use an
infra-red night sight. This has a very persistent and blurred
image as per your real night sight, everything leaves a bit of a
trail.
Your lasers leap about a bit but the missiles (all eight of
them) are great, they lock on to the target with no messing
about and multiple launches are allowed. It gets fairly sneaky
as both you and the enemy have missiles and anti-missile
missiles. A double shot nearly always gets ’em though.
There is a comprehensive map of the jump pad network,
allowing you to zoom in or out, scroll sideways, and to ask for
information on any city on it. The info tells you how big the city
is, what its defences are, and what Jump pad links it has.
By now you will have cottoned on that this is a complex
game. To help out with the complexities, there is a save game
feature (tape or disc) and a notepad built in to the game for
your notes. Very thoughtful of them is that,
The eventual aim of the game is to mix 'n’ match the pieces
of reactor cooling rods that you find in sub-stations (a puzzle in
itself) so that you can do for the main reactor and shut down all
the robots without Gal-Corp. having to wipe everything off the
planet. Mind you, after Tve finished blasting around out there
it might have been a little tidier.
This game beats ordinary shoot-em-ups into a cocked hat, I
can thoroughly recommend it to anyone fancying a bit of a
challenge without having to learn about the life and times of
J,R*R. Tolkein (which, as we all know^ is hobbit forming).
When you’re finished with the tape Ed ...
Amstrad User April 86
Paged
REVIEW
I
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J0i-j:-:a:
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1 - 8 '
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^ o.--ojyjJ'i!L, " .,^'
■™--ri-iV^i-i-iVCCCi.;j
SKYFOX
This is a cockpit view shoot-em-up^ featuring ground and air
attacks which have very little to do with a flight simulator. The
attacks are mostly directed at you and your base, and are
spread over a huge map which has no rivers and some magical
mountains that are always just on the horizon.
The first thing that struck me about the game was the time it
took to load up^ absolutely ages. Make cup of tea^ read "The
Hobbit’^ eat a four course meal and have your appendix out
and it might just have finished loading.
At first I thought that this time diiation factor might just be
my familianty with disc drives, but a skim through the
instructions (spoken in both Amstrad and Spectrum) revealed
that you might have to flip the tape over during the game. It^s a
biggie!
While the loading was getting on with it, I tried to skim
through the instructions for playing the thing. Although they
are not that long, skimming through them is not easy, unless
that is^ you are one of those people who has the ability to read
and digest Amstrad firmware manuals overnight. Putting it
bluntly, this is one complicated game.
To illustrate how complicated it is, there are no less than 10
training levels - blasting tanks only, planes only, alternate
waves, both together, mini-invasion, full-blooded invasion
and then the heavy stuff with different opening moves; like in
the better games of chess which I can’t play very well either.
Right, helmet on, joystick ready, clear away remnants of
four course meal and put jar containing appendix on top of the
computer for a mascot. First select the easy level, pinpoint a
hot-spot on the map, and launch at it. The auto pilot in this
game can do quite a bit you know, and you can guide it by
pointing at the map while in flight.
Now the tragic bit, the view out of your cockpit moves a
chunk at a time. No flicker, but the view changes as
infrequently and drastically as my tax code. I think this is
because they are switching between two screens and altering
the one you are not looking at.
The cockpit contains all the sort of information you would
expect to find in an inter-galactic anti-tank/plane colony
protection vessel. The number of missiles left, your current
position and where the enemy are are all on display
somewhere. A crib sheet supplied with the game helps you find
the right dial if you get lost.
The tanks and planes look pretty much like moderately
chunky tanks and planes, all done in what looks like mode 1, or
at least with only three colours in it. Small mistook here, the
distructions say that the shield power remaining is in red.
Either I am red/biue colourblind or it's in blue. The sound
effects are pretty much what you have come to expect by now^,
and you only notice them when some anti-noise pollution
lobbyist in the family comes along and turns them off.
The gunsights are non-existent, and you just have to follow
the shots to their vanishing point and put your target
somewhere on that line. The radar scope does give a choice of
top and side views with a range readout though, which almost
makes up for the lack of decent sights.
The controls seem to be a bit sluggish and not very well
de-bounced. This may just be an illusion caused by the alow
screen update, but you frequently end up turning a missile off
again just after arming it.
Only the one bug in the game spotted so far; you can blast
down all the planes in a training level and sometimes the game
won^t end or give you any more planes to shoot at. No other
bugs yet) but that might have something with me not lasting
very well on the higher levels.
The best way of dealing with the tanks was to fly at them at
high speed with the aid of the afterburners. (“Look at that go.
I
Mummy Bird”, "You"d shift that fast if your tall was on fire
son''.) When they start to look like tanks, you cut the engines
completely and hover. The tanks are then at just the right
distance for you to blow them to the scrapyard but for you to
still be safely out of range. Buzzing them just wastes your
ammo.
Planes are much harder and need much chasing about
before you can blow them out of the sky. People shouting at
you: “It won’t go any faster if you bend the joystick”, don’t
help much either.
The higher levels of play definitely require a bit of strategy to
complement the joystick wiggling. If only the screen update
had been smoother and you could really control the guided
missiles, this would have been a super game.
PageB2
Amstrad User April SB
<1
THREE WEEKS
IN PARADISE
This) ia the latest in the long and succeBeful Wally aeries of
games from Mikio-Gen. Three Weeks in Paradise continues
where Everyones a Wally left off, Wally and the gang had to
complete several tasks around town before going on a well
earned holiday. However Wally’s idea of a holiday ia to get lost
on the high seas in a pedal boat with Wilma, his wife and
Herbert, his son* They end up marooned on a desert island.
Wilma and Herbert wander off^ only to be captured by the
local nativeSt the Can Nibbles. Wally has to rescue them.
You take the part of W'altyj resplendent in yellow loincloth
and complete with knotted hanky on head* In the jungle
around you there are bats flying about. Like moat other moving
obstacles they are easy to avoid but drain your energy on
contact.
The screen is divided into two parts, the play taking place in
the top of the screen, with the bottom Quarter telling you how
many lives you have left, and showing you which objects you
are carrying* As you haven’t any pockets in your loincloth you
can only carrj' two objecta. In the bottom right of the screen are
two skeletons, one for Herbert and one for Wilma^ they show^
what youT family will look like if you don't look sharp.
At the bottom of the screen is an outline of an object that will
become more clear as you complete the adventure. There is no
energy meter but you have a limited amount of resistance to
creatures such as the bate, wandering natives, fiah, and
sea-horses before you lose a life*
The Mikro-Gen graphics are as cartoon dike as ever with a
black outline around them so they stand out from the
background. SVhat is new ia that Wally walks behind some
things, grass, signposts, chests, pillars and in front of others*
Another difference ia that you can pick up objects and put
them down anywhere you like. You can Use objects, rubbing
two sticks together to make a fire.
Wandering around the jungle you encounter Herbert in a
huge cooking pot, guarded by two lions* A plaintive “DAD!"
scrolls across the bottom of the screen* Clues and comments
often scroll across the bottom two lines, depending on which
location you are in, Such as ^Tinders Keepers^^ “Help! its me,
Wilma!!” from Wally’s wife who is being hung from a tree by
her heels and guarded by a native, or just “Ribbit! !^' from the
giant frog sitting outside a hut.
It's not all jungle screens, there is an underwater scene where
Wally does the dogg>' paddle down to Davy Jones’ locker, a
temple, an abandoned trading post which is now the home of a
lion and other signs of the previous inhabitants that have been
eaten by the Can Nibbles.
The objects and their uses are usually straightforward;
needing flip-flops before you can walk across the sand, but
what to do with the bowl of stuffing or the goldfish? And what
use is a blunt axe? The scrolling messages will provide slight
clues, but a warped sense of humour js a greater help.
In the jungle paths are conveniently signposted and you can
go through the screen to a parallel pathway. Some locations are
reached by odder means; try jumping into the seaside painting
to get to the beach*
Mikro-Gen claims that the puzzles are a little easier than
Everyones a Wally, but much harder than Dummy Run. Don’t
feel that you need to have played the other Wally games to
enjoy Three Weeks* The variety of the locations and puzzles
and the quality of the graphics make this a worthy buy, 1
particularly liked the way the giant frog's chest expanded
when he croaked. Those of you who map games will be glad to
know that it even connects up sensibly.
««LL¥ help
Amstrad User April 86
Page 6*^5
SWEEVOS WORLD
It must be pretty fair to say that the two games that have made
best use of the Amstrad machines up to now have been
Knightlore and Alien 8 from Ultimate (and perhaps even
Nightshade^ their most recent release).
However, when they brought out the second of these two a
lot of people moaned that the game format was too similar to
the first. This is of course absolute rubbish. Once you’re on to a
winning idea w^hy not make the most of it?
It was inevitable therefore that in the fullness of time the
same type of game would appear from other software houses
(in the same way that Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy spawned
a whole new game type in days gone by). Unfortunately^
successors to an original theme seem almost invariably to be
quite inferior to the original but this definitely is not the case
with Sweevos World from Gargoyle (the people who already
have their ovvn original game format used in Dun Darach and
Mflrsjxjrt).
Once again, the basis of the game is a large map of rooms
each one being depicted in reasonably convincing 3D view,
Sweevos W'orld hag taken the idea a little furt her by spicing up
the original monochrome idea go that each room is shown in
four colours (three really because black is always used for the
background). The speed of operation has also been noticeably
improved upon. There is no longer a feeling th^t you’re walking
through a ti m e warped w orld of limbo when you en ter a room in
which there happens to be a lot going on.
Things missing from this one that the Ultimate games did
have are the ability to shuffle the scenery about and the ability
to jump. This is never actually needed in the game but there
are some puzzles that initially look impossible without the
possibility of Jumping.
The most important thing that seems to be missing however
is any form of sound. The loader plays a very catchy little ditty
but as soon as the game is entered a wall of silence falls. Not
even ao much as the pitter patter of footsteps is to be heard - a
bit of a pity but it’s probably better to have the prettier
graphics and enhanced speed.
The actual aim in the game is to clear the map of various
mutant creatures by dropping objects on them. There are tins
to be picked up which can usually be used to aid in reaching a
level that might otherwise be too high. These are used in
conjunction with the lifts that are dotted about all over the
place. Quite often two adjacent lifts will be found so that by
switching from one to the other and dropping tins on the
alternative lift it is then possible to rise to an otherwise
unobtainable level.
It isn’t easy to generalise about the nature of the problems
that you are faced with though. Each object to be picked up or
nasty to be avoided has its own foiblea and pitfalls. This is
where the game really scores against the opposition. In other
games there was a standard technique for getting over walls
(drop an object^ jump on to it then pkk it up again aa you jump
off it over the wall). The same just isn^ttrue in Sweevos World.
Each time you find something to pick up you'll have to put on
your thinking cap to work out how it's to be done.
The world is on a number of levels and at various points
there are ‘iaunchingpads” that will bounce you up to the next
level. There are also holes dotted about that can be dropped
through to go dow a level, (Be careful, there is one hole that
allows you to drop out of the game.) Some of the objects to be
picked up can only be got by dropping down to them from a
room above so it’s an absolute necessity that you should make
a map unless you happen to be particularly good at
memorising geography.
There is a pleasant level of humour in the game as well. For
instance, you have to pick up BOOs and then go up behind a
duck-like creature and make use of it, in other words you have
author ^
PRICE
graphics
SOUHD
POLISH
COMMENT
FIRST IMPRESSION
lasting IMPRESSION
VALUE
to say BOO to a goosel. Another nice feature of the game is that
an object dropped through a hole will still be there when you
drop after it so that an otherwise deadly obstacle below a hole
can be covered. There are various types of scenery to be found
in the rooms - the best are the 1 TON weights that are held up
by a semi-transparent beam.
Once the beam is touched the weight comes crashing down
barring your pathway or worse still, flattening you,
Re-entering a room will put them all back up a height though.
There are also fmgera which rise up out of the floor. It 's usually
juat a matter of waiting for them to go dowm and learning how
long any particular one takes before it re-appears again. There
is also a body of gnome-like men that come up through the
floor, but they never go back down again go you have to make a
mad dash across them before they rise.
Various types of static object are also to be found. Bumping
into them produces the message "Ouch f ” and the smiling face
that shows your status stops smiling. A few more touches and
you can say your prayers. The more mobile types (the fingers
and gnomes) are deadly at the first touch. Around the game
area you may also find characters sitting looking like Cornish
PiKies. These are Brownies and "Brownie Points" are to be
gained by picking them up. Like so many of this type of game it
is only possible to carry three objects at once. The system most
games use for allowing you to pick them up and drop them is on
a first in first out basis - not in Sweevos World though.
A highlighted block circulates around the three positions
and the next time the fire button ia pressed to pick up an object
it is put into the current position or ig dropped if an object
already occupies the gpace. This ig really annoying when you
only have a gplit second to pick up an object and end up
dropping something else instead, but 1 suppose it all helps to
add to the difficulty of the game which for my money is one of
the mogt entertaining that has appeared for the machine. It
can be played with either keyboard or joystick and will work on
all models of machine.
Amstrad User April 86
Page 64
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Amstrad User April S6
Page 65
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Page 66
Amstrad User April 86
- 1
:'§5 'lO.' L
'll
iioi:? ::r j
p,- :■ : r ;
REVIEW 1
author —
PPIICE -
1 graphics
I SOUND
I polish
1 COMMENT
SIR FRED
This Mikro-Gen release was not written by the team
responsible for the Walty series but by the programmers who
wrote Roland on the Ropes for Amaoft. The result is a graphical
adventure which is very different from the Wally series with
the accent more on action than on brainpow^er.
Your quest as Sir Fred is to rescue the King's daughter from
the wicked Sir Hugh D unnyt, notan easy task. Each time you
play the game the princess is put in one of seven locations. The
starting positions of the objects changes froni game to game so
you must modify your actions as you find the objects.
A sword is essential to get past some of the guards. The bow^
and arrow is useful for dispatching some of the s«rfs, and you
can choose from three angles of flight. The arrow^s are needed to
flick some switches which you can't reach so donT waste them.
Sir Fred is a proper little action man, he runs, jumpSj swinp
on ropes, swims through piranha-infested w^aters^ indulges in
sword fights and throws stones. He can carry up to four objects,
some t an be used only once, such as the food for energy, some
can be used only a number of times such as the bow and arrows,
and some can be used all the time, such as the sword.
You must be careful when picking up an object to move your
selection pointer to an empty **pocket'' or the object you pick
up w'ill destroy any you are carrying, something I found a little
hard to cope with at first, trying to get some stones while being
nibbled by a piranha, but it is easy enough to move the pointer
before you enter a new location.
The emphasis is very much on action - running, jumping
and swinging on ropes to get yourself catapulted over walls.
The ropes are very difficult to master until you realise that Sir
Fred must just flkk himself to the outside of the rope on the
upsw^sng to get a little more height each swing, something that
could be better explained in the insert.
Sir Fred has some degree of intelligence when you are
controlling him. When you get to the top of a rope and press the
down key he will turn and climb backwards a little way down
the rope before you can continue. He will also conveniently
climb out of the water when he gets to the edge.
You feel as if you are in control of a little person as he digs his
heels in and skids as you try to stop him running. Sometimes
the control is not as precise as you would want. If Sir Fred
accelerates by you holding down a direction key too long^ he
can be slow to turn round, dug in heels and all, which can mean
you can be catapulting him into danger.
The keys are definable, and apart from the direction keys
you have one to select an object and one to use it. The graphics
are fairly simple, with the only multicoloured things being the
objects and characters. Nice touches are Sir Fredas eyes that
blink. In the dark rooms a torch ia essential, this casts a small
pool of light around Sir Fred and leaves the rest of the room in
darkness.
The objects you find are fairly straightforward to use and are
only necessary to allow^ you to get to other parts of the game,
rather than be used to solve a puzzle, Throw the meat in the
river to distract the pirahna, tempt the drunken boatman with
the bottle of beer to get across the other river.
With 58 different game plans it should keep you very
occupied, and as it is possible to complete some of them
without seeing all the locations, you will be back for '*just one
more go"^
Amstrad User April 86
Page 67
REVIEW
SPINDIZZY
If you can afford to fritter away your change in the arcades
you^11 be familiar with Marble Madnesa. It involved rolling a
ball across a gridded landscape^ negotiating tight benda,
narrow ledgea and aheer cliffs. Like so many other arcade
favourites, it found its way on to a home micro. Now loads of
software houses have clones written or planned, the first being
Gyroscope from Melbourne "We*ve never seen Marble
Madness, and anyway Gyroscope is totally different’^ House,
Now we have Spindizzy, a brilliant development of the
theme which leaves its rivals for dead and, even so early into
1986, must surely be a contender for Game of the Year.
Spindizzy is a huge game, 400 screensful, which takes the
gridded slopes of Marble Madnesa, complicates them with all
manner of ramps, walls, tunnels, lifts and trampolines
(honest!), stirs in some fiendish logic puzzles and tops the
whole thing off with beautiful graphics and animation which
will have owners of other computers drooling. This game is an
Amstrad original, and although there will doubtless be
conversions, it’s hard to see how they can match this,
The object of Spindizzy is to e3[plore the map and collect the
flashing jewels which are scattered about it. Some are easily
accessible, others perched in devious locations which will need
all your skills at problem-solving and Joystick control of your
spinner, known as Gerald the upside-down triangle.
Often it is not just a matter of selecting the correct route, you
need to alter the actual characteristics of parts of the maze by
deducing the functions of the icona which litter the floor of the
map. These icons are activated by running Gerald over them,
but it isn^t always that simple - some icons deactivate others,
or need to be switched in the right order or at specific times.
Some examples. One icon you’ll encounter quite early in the
game is a lift, activated by moving on to it. It raises you to a
higher walkway leading to an adjacent screen, and lowers you
back again when you return,
A much tougher problem is posed by the castle area, which is
initially sealed off. How to get the door open? It involves
finding which screen elsewhere on the map has the door
control, activating this icon, and then finding out how to get
back off the screen without deactivating the door. Naturally,
the deactivation icon lies on the only exit.,.
Game play is against the clock, and there are no lives to lose
as such. Normally the clock counts down slowly, but each
spinner destroyed decreases the time left by five. Collecting a
crystal increases the time and it*s a good idea to hit the brake
sparingly because it penalises you with a much faster dock
rate during use.
It"s only too easy to lose spinners - much of the map is set
over water, or a drop to infinity, and a misstep results in death.
And as the game features true inertia and momentum, if you
fall too far on to a solid surface your spinner disintegrates into
four pieces with a lovely snapping sound. Conversely a good
run-up to a ramp lets you leap wide gulfs.
The game uses Mode 1 to great effect. The restriction to four
colours is hardly a Limitation, as clever stippling creates a
range of hues and shading effects. Moreover, the colour scheme
changes in different parts of the map, giving a welcome
variety.
The overall map can be called up at any time to check your
progress: it shows your current position, which screens you
have visited and which of those still have jewels left in them.
The program is full of delightful touches which gives it real
class. For example, the spinner's initial appearance is an
upturned, spinning pyramid (see the photographs). But if you
tire of this, a keypress changes it to either a marbk or a
gyroscope. Other keys alter your 3D viewpoint to any of the
compass points, which is often essential.
Many scenes have tall walla and ramps and the true 3D
animation means that crystals, and your spinner, may be
hidden from sight in some directions. A compass block
indicates true north so you don’t lose your bearings on the map.
Finally, any monochrome Arnolds out there can relax, as the
programmer has provided a green-screen option which fixes
the colour scheme to a set that works best on such monitors.
Addictive, surreal, challenging, professional - do yourself
and your Amstrad a favour, and get a copy of Spindizzy today.
AUTHOR
PRICE
_
GRAPHICS S FIRST IMPRESSION ^
SOUND
liU LASTING IMPRESSI ON
POLISH
VALUE nU
COMMENT
hrsJjJa^
Amstrad User April 86
Page 68
REVIEW
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GRAPHICS
3 FIRST IMPRESSION
□
SOUND
I.A.gjTTNG IMPRESSION
□
POLISH
HI VALUE
COMMENT _
LE 5EME AXE
A quick sortie to the Paris Amstrad Computer Show bagged a
couple of really good games previously unseen in Britain* This
is one of them.
Professor Gem B. Dick has been involuntarily d^clenched on
a planetolde artificiel. This is probably a huge inconvenience
for him but It wonT bother you much. However it does provide
you with the excuse to explore a large underground world and
beat the daylights out of assorted robots*
The game starts with you, a normal looking and presumably
French humanoid, standingonleveloneof a multi-level world.
The humanoid sprite remains in the centre of the screen with
the world scrolling by. Joystick control will also allow you to
leap the holes in the floor* If you don^t succeed you’ll fall
through to the next level. There are blue zebra-crossings that
will hurl you up a level. Dotted around are square, round, and
diamond shaped black objects. These correspond to holes in
the wall near the holes in the floor* The right object will allow
you to cross the holes and reach other parts of the complex.
While skipping around in your carpet slippers you^ll
probably bump into the odd robot or two. And when 1 say odd I
mean odd, but beautifully animated. To dispose of them, a few
Karate kicks or a dash of Kung Fu will convert them to scrap.
After a certain number of objects have been collected you go
to an intermediate stage between games. This has you running
along B temple corridor while unseen foes hurl spears at you.
You can jump^ duck, or fend off the spears but if you fail to get
the timing right you’ll end up with one through your head,
stomach or feet.
Should Le oeme Axe make its way across the Channel you
can look forward to seeing its brilliantly animated sprites. 1
think it has some of the moat imaginative creatures Tve seen in
computer games and I look forward to being able to read the
instructions and play the game properly.
ZORRO
I suppose every character of popular fiction is destined to
appear in some computer game or other. Now^ it’s the turn of
Zorro, the masked avenger. In this game from US Gold, Zorro
has to free the senorita from the wicked Captain who has
abducted her and imprisoned. I expect you get the drift*
Anyway, the whole idea is to get past various obstacles on
various screens with the aid of various objects. The Captains’
men are patrolling the town, so watch out or you will have to
fence them off, Sorry, I mean fight them off. Zorro can run left
and right and Jump. There are ladders and vines to climb up.
Also there are hand rails that Zorro can use to span gaps,
paratrooper style.
Dotted around the towm are a number of objects such as sofas
and big red rubber balls on which Zorro can bounce. The
objects that can be found have special purposes. However,
despite long hours of game play the only item out of a key, a
bottle, a rubber plant, and a square thingy (that might be a
step ladder or a pair of trousers), that I can find a use for, is the
key, which opens a door.
The graphics are quite good but they look verj^ like the
Commodore 64 variety. This is not really surprising as
Amstrad Zorro is bound to be a conversion of the code
developed on the Commodore.
Sound is fairly sparse with only a few actions being
accompanied by sound effects.
Zorro is a game of average proportions. Average sound,
average graphics, average addictiveneaa. It is neither stunning
or very original* Some will find it entertaining and will keep at
their keyboard for a long while trying to sort out which object
does what, but I think most game players will find it a bore.
AUTHOR_i
PRICE _
GRAPHICS 1
□
1 FIRST IMPRESSION 1
SOUND 1
□
1 LASTING impression!
m
POLISH 1
□
1 VALUE 1
HI
COMMENT
Page 70
Amstrad User April 86
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Amstrad User April 86
Page 71
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A ms trad User April 86
TLL
Hot OR the heels of Highway Encountor, the last release from
Vortex^ comes TLL* This consists of a semi-J^D view of a
landscape fiUed with trees, houses, lakes and the like* You
control a tornado fighter on a bombing sortie, the aim being to
drop bombs on strategically placed targets shown as a small
circle on the map. As your plane flies across the landscape the
background scrolls in all four directions allowing you to move
this scrolling window over the much larger map.
One great feature is the shadow of the aircraft that is cast on
the ground. As you fly over a building the shadow is seen to go
up the side then across the roof in a very lifelike fashion. This is
quite important, as it allows your height to be judged*
Once the target has been located you must go down low both
to be sure of hitting the target and also so that your speed drops
to a manageable level. If you pull back on the joystick the
aircraft gains height and speed until it is flying supersonically
and the swing wings are pulled in. When you are flying fast you
have to be very careful where you choose to push the joystick
forward to slow down for the sudden loss of height will probably
leave you splattered up the side of one of the buildings.
Left and right movement of the joystick causes the plane to
bank and hence turn in 45 degree steps giving the eight
possible directions for flight, Pushing the M key shows a mode
one status screen which includes a complete map.
Graphically the game is quite brilliant and its concept is
reasonably novel. Technically it is a masterpiece* The spaed at
which the 16k of screen memory is scrolled about, especially in
supersonic flight, is quite outstanding.
I don't doubt that you can probably karnt to become pretty
good at controlling the fighter, but for the first time user it
doesn't exactly instill confidence when you can get through
your three jets faster than you can aay Super Etandard.
AUTHOR
PRICE ,
GRAPHICS
□
FIRST IMPRESSION
SOUND
LASTING IMPRESSION
POLISH
VALUE
COMMENT___^
nnryvvxs^ « rirvvinrri
AUTHOR_
PRICE _t
GRAPHICS
FIRST IMPRESSION
SOUND L—
LASTING IMPRESSION
POLISH C
VALUE
COMMENT
THEATRE EUROPE
Theatre Europe is the latest release for the Amstrad in the PSS
Wargames Series. It simulates the battle for Europe when the
Third World War comes. This is not the happiest of subjects
for a computer game, and some people will consider it in bad
taste* My opinion is that any scenario that challenges the
intellect and educates is valid provided it doesn't trivialise
seriou^ matters.
The game shows you a map of Europe on which the Nato and
Warsaw Pact units are lined up against each other across the
East German border. There are four stages to every game turn
- movement, attack, supply and air phase.
The game can be played almost entirely with the joystick. A
cursor is moved around the screen and over the required unit*
Aa the cursor passes over each square the terrain or the details
about the unit are displayed. Pressing the fire button selects a
unit if it belongs to your force. The cursor is then moved to an
adjacent square and fire moves the piece or selects a unit to
attack.
The next stage is called special missions. Among the options
are strategic chemical launches, strategic nuclear launches
and all-out blanket attacks. Your enemy gets the chance to
strike back so there seems little advantage in initiating a
nuclear or chemical attack unless it Is to break the opposition
attack,
*4fter each attack phase there is a supply stage in w^hich a
number of supply points can be distributed to bolster up
individual units. The air phase gives you the chance to try and
retain air superiority by careful management of your air force
resources.
The screen at the end of the game says something like
“Civilisation destroyed press any key to try again".
If only it was that simple ...
Amstrad User April 86
Page 73
A MULTI ■ SCREEN GAME OF
SOFT 07023
*. ICCq-
SSSS^-;-:
mi
'.. - M -:i^J ■ :-ffl r%:' c^.' .J§‘ :;gi"
:ii ^.iae? - r^A-mi. #.: asr^: Si. ;-
'™-”a0-.■ aa-“ ■■■-“■■ = :. —-■—:.
<*.>
=a;aa-':
-fSflr.88t.-.a£ 3a:a^. 8ai--®-:aS:.i
iiiiiisiai
S - : m :-'4:
CLUEDO
OK, SO it plays Cluedo now. Hands up all you people who have
played computerised board games before? Right,, now how
many played the next round on good, old-fashioned printed
cardboard? I think I have just proved a point,
Thei^a Waddington games are wonderful - in their original
form. The Amstrad versions are a pale shadow of the real thing,
probably not helped by them being really awful Spectrum
conversions. This game asks you if you are using a colour
television'^ Methinks they missed that one.
So let's see what you get for your er .,. how much does it coat
Ed? (£9.95 - Ed). Thank you. Right, a genuine green
cardboard box, a lot of plastic moulding that holds the cassette
and fills up most of the box, a distruction leaflet (mostly a
mass of es, Jt-s, and TMg), a sticker advertising the film of the
game, and a little booklet of detective not^ sheets that
eveiy^one will shove through a photocopier.
You get to roll a computer generated dice down the left-hand
side of the screen, though it looks more like it is having a fit
than rolling. You then move your character the requisite
number of places. Be warned! if you cheat by moving it too far
too often it seems to forfeit you your move. This may be a
feature or a bug, Tm not. sure.
Anyhow, accusations fly back and forth like Sikorsky vs, the
' European consortium as per your usual Cluedo, except you
can^t see your clue cards. These are stored in the computer
; until you want to look at them. Then you tell everybody else to
look at the ceiling while you put your mit over the corner of the
screen and see w^hat you got,
' This is indeed a computerised version of Cluedo and Is a
I direct take-off of the original, but with less cheating. I prefer
the original board games on boards, though the computer
version does have one advantage - little brother doesn’t nick
the gun for hia Action Man*
AUTHOR
price ^
graphics a
SOUND T I
POLISH □
COMMENT _
FIRST IMPRESSION Cj
LASTING IMPRESSIOnCH
VALUE
r Send to: Global Software, PO Box 67, Lorvdon SW11.
Please rush me.copy(ies) of
Operation Caretaker The Beer Hunter
Old Scores (delete where necessary)
for my___computer
[ enclose a cheque/PO for
Marne___
Address.
ACU 4^
y 0a
IT
I
DISC
SOFT 07047
£13
95
DISC
£ 9.95
TAPE
SOFT06047 TAPE
ACTION AND ADVENTURE
FROM AMSOFT GOLD
WiMra tm* vH *arciadt rihI nifcvantufa pkyail withk an intrk^ «■»
af war 350 ht-ns calavr fcraens whii tuparb prdpbirs oad l■^ianll^Ofl,^laraa Mask «n lauH
affects, daiartr ol traaiurH and abjacti incbdliitg fiviai spM**' lawdars oad li^iap fcillar ipWars,
flabs fraia Mtai* ipi", ialellbaiit saH, etratk waspi, mavnii fleari and riiiai h^s, lifh ia
faananilass f baHi, varioai bays t* vnrwai Awn, ifHKaibiptj, a*id drops aiwf arid iialaiat*/ onl
sprays, Bieawbopi, IMnKhvtes, ortarpy rapkaiihofala with aiillislHkas, bowls af cherries, iced
bam, apples, caps af tea, cornflakes aad Ita-creaiH?
All Ibis and invch more in the fraattfl arer itwrathOBja the toatbot apainsl line and
fellow mogpols whore lharo on many ravtos to Hia flHisb,where yea will go Ihroagh Hall,
Paopaom, fiardon, llliinsiaB, UndarprOiMd, lotoiaant. Scrubland nnd Plaael Surface, where
each ebiect tan phiv a vital rale, where Ike kaiardeas lebyrintk race requires allyoer arcade
skills, qakh flnaars.fast tkinkiftp, perfect liming, problem solving Legit, arientatmn nnd
else a good lease trfhumor. All THIS AND MUCH MORC in the ^
Vf/v vt-ryifiJJrtTff! Jjvm nfiythift^
f httw c.dih
‘1 he urahics and '^iuund jit exceticnr
^nd the ^iime k (om ily L^ddicti^v!
CdtriMula- Vidtq
’Great game, guod musk.
vicl I rtvuoxTifiided^ i*t,u
'TJn'^rafiJrki>i mi‘
’wriggler is a totaHy original game!
'Thu is i-razy, tAe sirapfik.'i atv a tielififtt.
Pi^
’The rariee of prublems and the 26S k^'uiEun'^
lift this well !iha»ie the ruiriii. \ wiiiner.' pc »
"[f ynu\e any sense wu'll order
your copy now,' htn
’ well worth buying! Exi^^^EPn^
'The graphics, animation and ClwiCt
of colour are superb! crt^m
Oue fif fhe heM f^ami's for ifity itmhiae
f'wsvFnfor W pcn
'OtcralkfU wrj gond ^nie worth hiryitig. c-wh
'The arrmunt Of dltfcrant screens makes tfie gam*
vary playable, enjoyable,and mor* Impof lantly,
addictive. I would racommend Ifilslo eriy child
between th* a^S of Q end 90,''
Wriggler is one of th* most
attractive aresde aclv«ntut«
gatoes I have seen for
a v*fv tong time!
’The music is encellsnt’
Ptui a taoiius:
Original music to wriggle to the Wtiggler
'Grtpriie* 9/10 StMJrtd 0/W Valu* 1t^10
playability lO/PQ'
c^upihiw a vwh’ etriMs-
#1
SPfCTRUM tape £ 4-95
AMSTRAD tape £ 7*95
disc £11-95
Available from Boats*W,H, Smiths,!BD, Tliom EMt Centresoft, GEM, R&R, Variguard Leisure, Warwick Distribution, Micro Dealer,
and any good computer stockist or direct from ROMANTIC ROBOT, 77 Dyne Road, London NW6 TDRor phone 08&2BS47B3
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'^Amstrad cpc 464 \
Avoid the rpcketc end aixi-drcrttf ind
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To mention only three of the 50 {imee oo the
Artiitratl Cttuti* iU, which indudet wceele type
Qimes, wer genwa.. ochrentere ifmes, legicali
tectiol, and idiJcitiDnaL gatoes. e flight einiutatDr,
and 0 hoiMiBei rtretegy pante, Casaelta 50 faalurts
mullicolDured eod user defioed graphiesr leyeNch
ccmpatitMlily, sound and music utilising llie amAiing
power of your Amitrodr
1. Mju« liltr 17. PpHleDn BbI Subflitfinai
Z- Crcl«n.s IB Th.itf ks 31!. Spica Sits
3. M^tirnr 39 3D Mhy 37. Ptintti
4. LufitJ LahCins ZP Cclouf 9 3B. Bletk Hck
6. rAAlittif Liiid Zl Fidfcb field 19. Dyn«[ni1<
a. S[triF«h 22 ScIpI tlD. Tptnifaomb
7. iWnirly Z3 Tunnal Eicapt II.OefttllPB
5. Aitkchitr 24 BirfBlJumn RitvC
9. Tin^a 25 truEltPni 42. Space Scirch.
ID. Gilictic Atcich ZB.niNf^ODS I}, frivi* Qun
11. IbiiivF PciiBA 2?. Sillpn-g Tarp 44
12. NnualtCB Bine 2B Nnpatii 4$. Tmk'BP
Cr 4 Est!B 23 . SaicB Ship 4 e Dung^ipeh
13. Reyjl AfrtciiB jp.. J«| FUglvt AjlTt.ni.up«
U. Pljv YMr J1. Kind's Oph 47 J*l Wn4ilt
CBPdi fliplit T2. IntrHdBP 4B. High Rka
li. Dr«epf CiBwlBf ;33. InrKrxi 43. The Fo^cf
11. Hangnafi 34. Clvpiti {13. EiinhBiip^
tStippdied^ on c££se[TO. coiMpiiiahik vvjih 694 and 6123
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Poataga Frae in UK add F1.Q0 tor Overee*4 ordOr?.
Free watch and taps wiM ba despotched within 28 days.
I B ch*qij«.' FZ ’I n»od* payabte to
po^at flrdvr tor _J Caaewta UBmai Lid-
Of lUiHNi^h anv Aatr ornn bj rRANSCASH tOnti No. S&I «SS^
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Amstrad User April 86
Page 77
I &|
1
delivery I Our excl
on*
thl*
O-t •“«??
’ M aSi"9.«
^rii to*"
bam Expansion
as easy as posst
Keep your equipment ffse
dustcover. made from clear pliable ^
spoiling the ACU lo^o^
CPC 464/664 keyboard cover
CPC 6120 keyboard cover ....
Green screen monitot cover..
Colour screen monitor cover ,
pew 8256 keyboard, momtoi
Amstrad User program listings on tape and disc
Tapes contain all the major listings from ^msrrac/Comf>u?ert/jer Discs offer
better value for money as they giso contain public domain software from the
CP/Wl users' group. Contents for the last two months:
January: Mode 3, how to use the Amstrad's secret Bk screen mode.
Soncery, Plus Pokes and Sprite editor.
Shaded Dump, utility for Epson compatible printers.
Pak Caverns, machine code and Basic game.
Fabruary Animatior>: make your own computer titles.
Roland takes a running Jump, Game and Screen designer.
GglsMiians Revenge. Space Shoot-em-up,
March: Roland Takes a Runninig Jump source code.
Racer; Prize winning Grand Prix game.
Tap«t £3.50
Discs E6.EO
Page 78
Amstrad User April 86
out.
3
'SS): Listings sipecidi,
AoiUiellti, Uo (he
Be-art&tatk.
laBue 4 ‘3B|i:
Software checklist,
9tmptB acreern dump
with events.
laatiB 5 lApril
Games spBclal,
Sorcery and m-iKo
Ibujb 6 (IVlay ‘$5):
The CfC 664. 6r*l
full review
iBBue 7 (June '661:
Flock Moppet listing-
FtoMer & Ptinter
reviews.
Issue B (Ju4y '66]:
Speech Synths
reviewed, 664 &.
61^a to 464
conversion program.
Issue 9 lAu'Sus.t 'SS);
OrflWinQ packages
ogiTipered, Screen
designer Vs Artwork
end Artist.
Ibbub id (Sep '66):
Jet Set Willy Map 6
Pokes. KnighftlOre
Map
iBsue 11 (Oct 'SSf-
CPCDlZfl full laviBW.
PCW 6256 Preview
lieue 12 iNov '86):
DMP 200Q, full
review.
IsauB 13 jDec 'S5h
Making a telty etl.
Wally map 6 Pekes-
Iseue 14 IJan '66):
Mode 3, simple
screen switching.
Issue IS I Fab
RAM ejtj^snslpns
rcviawed. Bumpet
Ou^rtess. supj)temeni.
Issue 16 (March
SSI- Reviiews-
Modems, Music
Sysiam. Dart light
pen, Mi-tqh Hikers,
Laser Basic.. Racer
Listing.
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Ams trad User April 86
Page 7ft
I
i
I
FEATURE
How to get
your screens
in a twist...
By Alexander Martin, Original Bankman code
and airoplane concept by Roiand Perry
When the 664 and 6128 were produced,
parts of the operating system were
altered to make it poesible to do things
that the old firmware waan^'t flexible
enough to allow- Using the new flexible
firmware a smooth screen animation
effect can be produced from Basic- This
article includes RSXa that will allow a
Basic programmer to use this feature and
aldo a Basic program that illustrates its
use.
We have provided the code to allow
users of the 664 to set up the RSXs, If you
have a 6128 then the RSXs are already
provided for you as part of the Bank
Manager package. This is explained in
the section for 6128 owners, You can
follow the procedures below to set up the
example without having to know how it
works,
664 owners
the Hexloader program and save
it. Then run it. It will produce and save a
binary file containing the RSXs which
you then load and run with the
RSXloader program. Type in the exam¬
ple program and save it- You should now
have all four programs on disc. Reset the
machine for a ‘clean start’. Now run the
RSXloader program. Next run the
example program,
6128 Owners
Filecopy Bankcode.bin onto a disc. Type
in the Bankmanloader program and save
it. Type in the example program and save
it. You should have the three files on a
disc. Reset the machine for a *clean
start’. Now run the Bankmanloader
HEXLOADER
1030
DATA
E54E2346606919U
706
1040
DATA
4D£17T2370Elt4E4
1039
1030
DATA
600063006A007500
414
10
' hfilOiider for 464 oyners
1060
DATA
74007B007E009900
S22
20
I
1070
DATA 9C009f00AC00B400
667
30
NENW S7fFf
1040
DATA
BA00BF00C900CE00
744
40
ad<1r=S8000
1090
DATA
£000E400£E00F600
940
50
m ln=1000 TO 1370 STEP 10
1100
DATA
FB00050t1001170l
296
60
READ
lt10
DATA
1B01000000000000
28
70
check$u>^VAL<NIDSfblgdotai^l033
1120
DATA
000000003EC932F9
562
S0
chfcl(jU = checl(dU*checltsui
1130
DATA
FF21A100£DD4UCD3
1270
P0
fO-ft pQlnter=1 TO 16 STEP 2
1U0
DATA
21F9FF110040B7ED
1102
100
b)^teS=HlDS(bigdi tiS,poihter,23
1150
DATA
523006214300C31D
524
110
ct-NIM{hytfl,1,r):eOSyB 2103tt=
1160
DATA
0101990021390005
472
HlDS(b^tc$,2^1}:64SUB 210
1170
DATA
D1BC544F6F204O4F
922
120
rtjgU=VAL<''r’fbytet)
1180
DATA
770D0A426U47043
504
130
POitE addr,result
1190
DATA
6F4D6D616E440D0A
659
H0
Jddr=a44lr4l
1200
DATA
Al00C3A900C3bD00
941
150
checksuii=checksu«' result
1210
DATA
564943D75444D500
410
160
NETT pointer
1220
DATA
FE01c2lA0fDD7E00
423
T70
IF checksuiio0 THEN PRlNT'TKfCKSUN E
1230
DATA
FE02D71A01B7240F
731
RROR Ik LiNE";ln,b1gdot^$-ST0P
1240
DATA
CD040f£SF52A5700
817
100
NEXT In:
1230
DATA
OD05SC3EO0140bi:D
894
190
TF cfi^ckiL 1=20581 THEN SAVE''dfrk0(;(^do
1260
DATA
0401E5F32A5500tD
815
''jb/08000j,t130 ELSE PfllNl^jncgrrect
1270
DATA
05BC3E40CD0aBCF1
96 T
nuftber of deta IfPies"'
1240
DATA
ElC355BbFE0lC2lA
1169
200
STOP
1290
DATA
0lDDrE00FE02D2lA
440
210
IF H1STBf"'01f545d7S9ABC6EF",UPPERi(c
1300
DATA
0lB7240DCD0a015E
513
S3)=0 THEN PIUNT"'TirPlhl6 ERGge IN LIN
1310
DATA
OiCD03BC2A370014
746
E'Mn,b1gdataS JSTDP ;ELSE RETUBN
1320
DATA
08CD08013E40ED0S
564
220
P
1330 DATA 0E2AS300C3056CCD
904
230
t
1340
DATA
0BBCFEO020042257
402
1000
DATA 21E1E9223000F7EB 1055
1350
DATA
00O9FE40C022^500
430
1010
DATA 2f2100194E234623 309
1360
DATA
C921St007£23CD5A
830
1020
DATA 79B0?e55ES606919 S77
1370
DATA
BBFE0A20F7O90000
931
RSXLOADER
10 'r?!! loader for 66k
20 ^
30 HENORT a^FFF
4fl L*AD"dni^cpde,bin'‘,ta000
CALL tSS00
PRINr'noy RUN the EKANPLE progrsi''
EXAMPLE PROGRAM
IS ENT-1,1,1,1
REN mountains
30 DEFliU a-j
kt INK &,1slNI^
30 IM 1,6
60 FOB 1=4 TO 7:rillt i,9iNE)i:T
70 FOR i-i TO 13^INK 20:NEXT
00 SlfNBOL 252,0,0,SC,6lF,S5fl,S7f,iFf
PS STNBDL 2S3,0,6,SE^6F2j.2^iiF2,BFE
m STNBOL Z54,0,S60,t70,6rF,6rF,lTF,i7f
1T0 SVPieOL 25S,0,0,0,»FS^6EC,BFE,afF
120 prf=CHRS<254lf[:»EiC2SS)
130 pli=CHRS(Z5Z3fCHRt(253)
140 FOR scr=0 Tp 1:1V6U,,scrINODE 9
1S0 RANDOnilE TlPANDDNlZE RND
160 D£6;I3RI6IN 0^ 150:tLE:NDVE 0,1S0
170 FOR TO 6ii STEP U
1S0 OPAV x,COS{]!]M504RNDA100,4
Page 86
Amstrad User April 86
FEATUKEl
displayed. This command does not
change the screen being written to (by
commands like PKINT^ PLOT^ DRAW)
or read from (like TEST and COPY-
The parameter n should he
either 1 or 0.
About the example
How does it all work?
There are two 16k areas of RAM that can
be used as screen memorj'. The default is
the area above &C000 which weVe called
Screen 0. The other is referred to as
Screen 1 and resides at &:4000 up. It is the
process of switching between these two
screens that allows the animation effect
to be achieved. The firmware on the 664
and 6128 differs from the 464. The 464
firmware assumes that a read or write to
the screen operates on the currently
displayed screen. The 6128 and 664
firmware does not make this assumption
and writes to the screen it baa been told
to wTite to.
This is the documentation for the two
RSXs:
IVDU.n
This changes the screen area being used.
The parameter n should be either 1 or 0,
I VIEW,n
This changes the screen area being
program. Next run the example program.
Now it can be told
The RSXs used in the example program
are hidden away inside Bankcode.bin.
When RSXs are used, they have to be
loaded into memory as a binary file and
then CALLed to log them on. If you
CALL the Bank M anager RSX code with
a parameter this will automatically log
on the two additional RSXs. To simplify
the Ban km anager explanation in the
6128 manual, these additional com¬
mands were hidden away and undocu¬
mented.
BANKMANLOA&Efi
lia "rsi! Loautr for 4125
20 ’
li MEHOJIY S3FFF
40
CUL 13000,1
60 PRlNT"nQy RU»I the E)t4llPLE priigran"
program
Within the example program IVDU is
used for two purposes. To select the
screen to display and to select the screen
to write to. IVDU is immediately
followed by I VIEW in several places.
This is so the firmware is set to write into
one screen and then told to display the
other. 1VDU will always set the screen to
WTite to and the screen to display.
The animation is achieved by setting
the computer to display one screen w^hile
erasing the old image on the other. The
new image is then drawn in and the
displayed screen changed to reveal it.
This requires that the old position of the
character for each screen is recorded
making the animation technique hor¬
rendously complicated.
You can see how the program works by
'REMing out’ the RANDOMIZE com¬
mands in line 150. This draws a slightly
different range of mountains in each
screen producing a ^Rhubarb and Cus¬
tard’ effect.
Using the RSXs in your
own programs
You can use the KSXs in your own pro¬
grams by using the loaders to load and log
on the RSXs. Both Bankcode.bin and the
code created by Hexloader are relocate-
able. You will have to be careful about
where in memory you place the RSXs as
the lower screen space &4000 to &7FFF
must be clear. This is the reason HIMEM
is set to &3FFF using the MEMORY
ACU
t?0
NEJT I
!{T=lj;i:Dlyt=L)f
540
IF r*>472 THEN r!f--3Z
200
nOVE 0,0:F14.L 4
390
11;6U,0: IViEU,1jGDtD 470
54S
IF ly<-150 THEN INK 0,Z6iFflAhtsFRJipiE
210
cii-t73:GDSyB 27#
404
IV6U,0:jVIEl^,1
iINK 0,1:ly=100tiK=672:crashT4
220
c)t^525 :GflSUB lU
414
x-orx0:y=ory0:GOSUB 410 old p
550
sc:r-t:G05US 630
230
NEU ^cr:LVlEU,0
on 0
560
Jc-r!!:y = ry:G.0SLi3 410:orxt=f!(:'Bfy1=ry
240
eOT6 3S0
424
t=DL!t0;y-Dly4;GOSU« 620
"dr^u neu on 1
230
■
430
fi;=rx+4M'y=54*SiN(rit)tl0i5: L)( = 'Ij(- 8 : [y
570
i-i3(;i^=ly:G05U0 620:oli[1 = l!i:iily1 = ly
240
'
= Ly+i:rish*2
550
404
270
HOVE
440
IF 1i!^-64 then La = 472
590
1
210
FOR if = 0 340 BTFF 1#
450
IF rii>fi72 THEN r!! = -32
600
'
290
DR Ah ttfSlH(:s)*504l0*flND,100tc6S{j:)
460
scr-4:G(lSuB 430
610
WOVE K,y,3:R«INT prS;:RETURN
470
sin(:y=ry:t&SU0 410:£irii0=rii Eorj^0-ry
624
N09E ji,r,4TPR.ENT plS;:ltETURN
m
NEXT
'tira-v new on 0
630
FRAMEilf SH;f = 1 T«tN nftHf,0 ELSE I'J&U
^10
ORftW C)(,1M:PI0VE 1
1
430
K=l!i:y-tyiGOSU0 420:ol!!0=lii:4ts'®-ly
.1
RETIdRM
490
lVtit,1:lVI£y,0
640
found = TEST(t!(+4,ly-12>;lf found=2 Oft
530
t
5B4
j(=Dr!(t:y=ory1 !5D5V& 610 'erase old p
found^i THEN cras,h--4:SOUND 129,25,
340
1
on 1
400,1 5 ,,1,15
3S0
TAG:F46VE
510
)(=ol)(T:y=eiy1 :fiOSVS 630
654
1VOU, 3.C r
170
rx = -J2; r)^ = 100:)( = rs;y=fy:GOSiJfl
41#i0T
520
rx:ini'+4:ry=50frSnFf rjc) ^^140; 1*= 1 x-fl: Lj^
655
IF scr=1 THEN IVIEW,0 ELSE lVIE0,f
K1=f 1 JO ry1=ry
=ty+tr55h*2
640
RETUHN
540
L5( = 672:t>' = 100:5<=hry=LyiGO&UB
530
IF U^-64 THEN i« = 6T2
K
Amstrad User April86
Page 81
RSD CONNECTIONS LTD
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DISK DFilVE LEADS
AMSTlftAD EX PAtJSlOW PORT IK 0 CONNECTOR &
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SuiuDlfi Rfi4 A El 7A. Im
AMSTRAD8256
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lOte EWiKF4ddn rtruTi^nn plug.
ONLVfSSO
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telcrhone conns
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1 HOODS .36
KPEL'TRUM 1 [^cassa^fl
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AySTRAD to wnaTi.lH
C1.Z9
C2JS
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PRINTER Le*DS
AIL t METRE LENaril
aec
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03
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£».05
DL
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TTFESETTING+PRINT
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Tham^sLink Limited,
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Windsor,
Berkshire, 5 L 4 IPR
Telephone: Windsor 863356
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Comms: Witidsoir S 51989
Frestel: T 353633 S 6
SOFT-MACHINE
INTRDDIiNIE
META-BASIC
Tfie mostcomprehfin^jve BASIC utilitiespack«oeyei!
F^reuirs.
* IBPHINT - API tent »nl ta Ilia »ciHn mlargBii by anv emaunt
" SUN LOCK - Unprotects AlilSTRAt profrarm.
* ISPEED - Fast saw and fixij up tt 4D0D bauil.
* iHiLITE - HighNgilit ani^ strirg in a pivgram ar lii.tirg.
* lUDG - Or screen deeipn uf riiafartar srt.
IFILL - Vary Fast fill. Ajiy sbepe. Biiy CDloar.
* ICIRCLE - Fast circFe dramrinp-
" ISCREEN ^ Switch between 2 eeparala scroene et Fiardwire speed.
* iQETFlilAT — -CoRuen drawintps etc. an sernn inta HOB'S.
F^us 36 other commands jail tbe usual enes - IFFIAME, iCAFS, ate).
Load a red save LiDB's CAT tape u r disc te ptiuter. Pause, etc. etc.
Includes cemprebeneive marUSl and itanMfislralinfl jnrwram.
TAPE details or CHEQUES/F.D'. e payable to: qisC
£ 7 . 9 S £ 11.45
SOFT MACHINE, 68 Vicars Hill, Lornlon SEt3TJL
DAOf
THE ULTIMATE POOLS PREDICTION PROGRAM
• MASSIVE DATABASE PooteMnnei la a sophisticMOd
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lucometlefetly as resullCE come in.
• PREDICTS Not JumSCOREDRAWB^ImU AW AYS, HOMES
and NO SCORES.
• SUOOESSnni SELEC ^lumotsfi that Pootlswuiawr performs
mgiutlceiubybetlei lhanchuce.
• ADAPTABLE P»b«iCilIl(l*l V« vivsn on la^tute-
chooee M many selectboiU U yod need for ycMl bet. The
pt«iea prediction fonmJe CM-IjflMt by Sca*d, i*«AdffaiM
dev^lcp and tart youfiMrnimJqueinellv^ jiKnirtkiil tooWw
• (OMPIX DATA ENTRY JUliBamiLi3n**iMl|ithap™?Tam.Sfate?3y typeintliB T«t*[i«ice
launbon from the ecreeiL Omi* nxcoito pcoduoa firture lut aincflimlcilly (■« betow).
• DlSCfMlCP^^DIUTE COMPAtffiLE Tapee evpplled with oQinvanlon
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AVAHJIBIiE FOR $p#cmm (ICEl, OsmUftOdo™ S*. VIC 20 (+ ISSJ, AMSTRAD,
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__ ATlJtST;Non¥3reBtnigi(jlinjglMhau»»aMthe
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riAvLilv^U ptii^nninied with all ^liehuid
finuieefor I9S&^. Sfri^ type in the date, and tlM Ml fixture bat is
jatuuMted in iiei_ijiidf. FuHiy compatiblje with Poolfwlprifif.
POOLSWPWER wifli FIXGEM £16.50 IiH inchiBlTB)
COORSEWmiERn
HOTimTATIPSrE*
pftOORABi, CDUTBeiriimr
_ _ __ V3 can be used by eaipeim
^RE FVNTRBB PROGRAM. and oocuionil pumer* abhe.
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atatudica. prixe money, wel^. ^Lnp, treinu and lockey fonn etc. etc. It
cotputi moen LUtrty winnen.BoOdloitaoddabfllfl, forecaBta. nrlCUta ete. Tlie
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the databace never gtiee om C4 data.
AVAiLuij rottspKtnmL^tan. Domnoaenee.iK di jcMSTKAD.Aianrta]. Aepi« n
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phone 24 hra SOFI'WAEtli pboiw 34 hia
37 COUNCILLOR LANE, CHEADLE, CHESHIRE. S 061-438 7435
f5erJ ftw fnITtW jrfom- aEiflttllWJ
FULLY EXPANDABLE INTERFACE
FOR THE AMSTRAD 464/664/6128
# Dual RS 232 • 4 Sideways ROM Sockets
♦ 8 Bit Primer Port# 8 Bit User Port £83.95
• Thro-ugh Expansion Socket # Software on ROM
4 SIDEWAYS ROM SOCKETS UNIT with
Through Expansion Socket
3" Disc Box of 10
SIMPLE ACCOUNTS-Book Keeping (Disc)
PRO-ED/A Professional Text Editor (Disc)
Wriie/Phofte for furtfier detBils;
PANDA ELECTRONICS LIMITED
64 Harding Way, Cambridge CB4 3RR
Telephone: (02Z3) 354BB7
.^li [H iiuJusivi! c]l VAT iind P& P
§ nquiri^S
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0. J. SOFTWARE
FA^TFRIENaiY SERVICE
SKCIAI dnOER IWD 611 MORE ITEMS AMD DEDDCT AN EKTBA idp Kfl ITEW
ADVENTURE
REDHWNtEflII £^.95
WAALDRD C994;i £7.95
i,VORM PARADISE IB64] £9.9 E
AQflUM MOLE (6941 £9.95
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TTIEHDBSfTTj4B>4F £12.95
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SrRATEGV/SIHDIATION
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SOLDAMIlLiaNID) £3.95
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NdIb:' Id} - DiK vanian availabb jlape price e C3.S9]: I9^F = Runa 6B4/130
Meat erdn il^tchad In nHwu («t ef fudi ilaw aniatp mthin I week]
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ARCADE
WCtRiLING BACK DISC ^'3.6D
COMP HITS base 0NIVC13.5D
ELITEI664:i £12.95
BUSL-'DriPTIES
MINI office: II (PI f 13.50
GRAPHIC AIWEmiRjDli £iai95
LAZERBASIG(DF £12.95
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MASTEKAICISS f29.5tl
MA^Rflll£(DF £21.«
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ACCESSORIES
BLANK DISCS £4.50
DUICKSHDTH JOYSTICK fB.GQ
PflINTEiRCAHa £11J95
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ELEC STUOIG LI6MTPEN £17.35
AMSTRAD SPEECH SYN £27.96
Page 82
Amstrad User April 86
from a selective mailshot
to a gardener's year
microfile a
stores & retrieves information
to your requirements
• Client records • Club Membership
• Music library • Stamp Catalogue
• Fixture lists • Supplier Index
£19.9& including VAT & Carriage (£24^95 on Diskj^
CORMIX SOFTWARE LTD.
Tfi Hn«MW(l*1h STf«l. RoyiKhn. H^rti SSC 5*A. Ttl. Ho/llon
FAST refiab/e service of
DATA-DU P LI CATIO N
for most computers. Comprehensive
facilities include erasure/re-recording,
blank discs/cassettes blank or printed
labelsi/inlays.
COMPETITIVE PRICE LIST from;
SIMON STABLE PROMOTIONS
CASSETTE DUPLICATIONS
The Knightsbridge StabieSr20 West End,
Launton, Oxon 0X6 ODF. Tel: 08692E 2831.
PL395
Meidovwale Estate, HihBUr Umarick, ireHand-
Tiliphans! (QEn Z79S4 {U.U DID—3S3—01—27994
EXAM REVISION
MAS 1C MATHS{Ae«4 B]
A sii|Hrt] ^Tcade style game wIiieIi Itoli^
iha atienti^ri af thildren. Lsatit addition
and lutHiBctHiii wMIb trying tc drive a rr^in
at lOD m.pili.
MATHS MAHIA 4Agi S-IZ)
This program has Hie Batran-tdinarY etiect
of rtraliitg melliiiiti'CBticin and dniaion
addiclivf, Mlllhi i^ill tiavor the- sinia
again. An eacallBfit pro^rBm.
BEHER MATHS 1 [Ao« IMS]
Covets a vary wiriB range ol uopuJat
aaciiar>5 oF maHis et this lavsi. Conien-ta:
AfiptQjiifnaiiQn mies[]ratj<hii. simple
intarest. FacEors. percantageB. simpiB
uLtgletions. alge^iaic factors., sar^nancas
amt iBrias. tBsts. The program induiles
assaetiaE larnmlaa. ExcsIlenE ^nphrcs.
R^RER SPCUjF^a lAga 9 14»
An excilingi new way to imprnvB’ yaur
spelling, lliia courseware packa^a cnncan-
tratBS on all Ehe key areBB nf Engtisii
syielting. Haal value 1oi mrniiay wdlli up in
16 menu options. Praparad by an English
Fenguage aultter.
PHYSICS 1 [Aoa 12-16) CSF/O LEVEL
An nutslending pragrant which makes
excellenE use of graphics. Conlenta: 1.
Maller/tlensity., 2. Law nl tha Lever. 3.
Pressure. 4. SlotBS ol Matte-r A. States
of Matter B. B. Maql/TemporatOro- 7.
Currant Eleclcicrtyr D. MegnOtiom^laEdro-
lladcs. 9. Litttt,''S«iir(l.
SIOLOGT 1 [A^ 12-11] CSE/0 Level
This program giva$ key dBlinition; and
promates inleractivs iBaroinp through the
quastien and anawersassidnS- Cdnlenta:. 1-
Life & Calls. 2. Mamrtiels & Pfants. 3.
Phptesynihesis and EniymeL 4- flaspir-
atton/Excratinn. 6. Transpol. B. San'
silivity. 7. Rijiniduction. fi. Cycles and
Micro-argariBrna.
CHEMISTRY 1 (Age 12161 CSE/0-
Leirel
A wide ronging basic course in dtamistry.
Iriaal ior First axarnijiaHona. Conienta; 1.
Chemrcal Cha ages. 2- Oxygoiij^ydrogan A.
3. Cxygen/Hiydriagan B. 4. Alnms. 5.
Cjtlieni^ulphur. I. QxiOBtiom'F^dacfion. 7-
AcidVBasas. 9. Ion uchangaMFattr.
WEATHER/CUMATE (Age 12-17)
This program nsas Hie multipte dieice
Farmat for an in depdi enaiysis of this
lopic Topics; Waethet obsarvationr
litstromanti. Pressure. Wind, Tem-
paraturas, Climates.
Caaeatte^ £9.95 each
Discs £12.96 aach
48 heur FUlAfL DftDER
CPC 4E4/EG4/612I/
PCW B266 (April rdaasal
S®[Fir DlMlSDOGilT (DISCOUMT software)
ALL PRfCES INCLUDE f REE FAST DELiVERY IN THE U.K, ONLY. PLEASE ADD 70P PER
TAPE DN EUROPEAN ORDERS AND £1.00 PER TAPE ELSEWHERE.
New tides arrmn^ every day, please rimg far delails
Access ordeiVanquIriftS tel: 01-3D& 0521.
AM^TFLAp
BDuldpd«ti
9.9S ?.4&
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9.95
120
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9.95
1.20
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9.95
in
Lend ef Time
9.95
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9.95
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6.95
B.4fl
ftedklDgtv
9.95
5.46
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B.95
J.66
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9.95
7.46
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9.95
7.46
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G.95
7.06
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7.95
6.26
Alien 6
9.95
7.46
knightlnra
9.95
7.46
Dundarach
9.95
7.46
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9.95
7.46
Evarvane's a l^illy
9.9S
7.46
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e.95
6.71
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B.95
6.71
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9.95
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B.95
7.00
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7.95
5.96
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9.95
7.46
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9.95
7.46
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9.95
9.95
7.46
7,40
'30 Grand Frill
9.95
7.46
Zacnen
9.95
7,46
''ftuck Rogers
9-95
7.46
Congn BonyD
9.95
7.46
"lapper
9.95
7.46
9.95
7.46
3D ^Kin^
9.95
7.46
Cyma Elhess.
9.95
7.40
Wizanla Lair
9.95
7.00
hdjlhwiyEnonifntar
Tnni
B.95
7 95
0.71
6.20
Sli^oc
B95
0.71
Tha Devils CrtnVn
9.99
7.50
Zcids
A 95
6,71
Beiad eFlha Riw
*95
5.20
iieArfiung Fa
B.95
e.7i
Raid
9 95
7,46
Hlf^rspems
9 95
6.71
G. Cipas Strnitg.
395
6.71
Seuilwrt gille
7.95
6 iO
* rrenkie 6.T.H.
9.95
7.45
" MAtchday
9.06
7.48
' Never End Gtary
9.05
7.4*
* Int. Baskathafl
B.05
6.71
el lititms.
9.95
7,4$
Uistas ni Lamps
9.95
7.46.
6e.1tltet Britain
9.95
7.46
Warld Sar. Basahal
1 9.95
6.71
EIrtt
14.95
1!.21
SabmwelF
9.95
7.46
FlHmutl Olir
a 95
6.71
Majrraperl
9.95
7.4S
TTiay ^Id a Milli(»n
9.95
7.46
Oaufdren
B.99
B.7]
OynarniteOan
7.95
5.90
Adrjvn Met*
995
7.40
NIdhIdAeda
995
7,40
Sky Fw
9.95
7.46
Who Oirtt WiQ2
995
7,46
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9.95
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It^rrn m Perjdisa
9.95
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9.95
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6.95
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7.95
B.2D
Gymswe
8.95
B.TI
Stringikwp
8.95
6.T1
SupvTtatl
0,9S
S71
Lord oFlh Rings
15,95
12.90
CMi^terlllislO
14.96
11 59
Bainh Jaek
a.ss
5.71
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S.95
6.71
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6.95
571
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6.95
571
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14.95
12-99
Think
6.95
571
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6.96
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a.95
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tha MistarnuKi
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7.50
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0.95
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B.05
6.71
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7.46
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9.06
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9.95
7.4B
Fait LigiiE
9.95
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Ramhe
9.95
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Spy M Spy
9.95
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5 Wnb m se 9 95
740
Bmlatdllu Planeis
: 9.65
7.46
Runailona
7.95
E.2D
Back tn tha Fmura
9.95
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6.95
6.71
Sabalaur
6.95
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Turha Esprit
8.95
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6.95
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2112 AD
6.95
6.71
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9.95
7.46
tanj Ceil
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Later Basie
1495
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Lsnn Compilar
19 95
>6.95
□iKr» ol Doffn
995
7.46
Mmi DFfitall
1495
>1.95
DISC BASED SOFTWARE
MasEariBt
29.95
24.05
Mastarulc
29.95
24.95
Graphic A^v.Clnr
24.95
19.95
Said aHillwn
14.95
11.50
OomiiutBrOils 6
14.95
11.50
Dun Oirech
1496
11.50
Miirspert
1495
11.50
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14.95
>1.50
Scrahhla
14.95
>1.50
ThaetmEurnpa
14.95
11.5D
Spy Vi %
14.95
11.5D
Fighter Filet
14.95
T1.5D
Gi^s lIttWH
13.95
>1.5D
3d Grand Prur
13.95
11.50
Raid
13 95
11.50
5256 SOFTWARE
SuparCalc 2
49.9S
44.95
Onctargraph
49.96
44.95
Onctwrdrafw
49,96
44 95
Bitch H4 uhs Gurda tc 1faa
GaIikv
24.95
22.95
Zcf4l
19.95
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19.95
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19.95
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19.95
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(iwMiLAflLf iiv m miR/vTtiai.
WHY NOT COME AfiB PKK UP TDlW 3DFTW:AHE PEFtSONALLT FHDM flJfl DESDOWKT SHOP AT 3 STATIDH
CRESlISfr. WEOtCQMBE PABK BLOCKHEATH lONDOrf SE3 7m TBEHT itUT^IDE WE&TOOMBE FAi3t RAILWAY
3TATiaN m RE SDUTHettl REGIOiy. OPBI W SATOraHAYS OmY RIQM T0.3I]i TIL ElDDPM.
3 STATION GRESDENTWESTCOMBO PAH K SLACK HEATH SE3 7fR.
DUST COVER SETS
Amstrad PCW8256 £11.95 per set
In palegrey*proofeci nylon, treated with an anti-static
inhibitor, MONITOR & PRINTER covers piped in
green.
Name hot foil printed on KEYBOARD cover.
Amstrad C PC 6128/464/664 £7.00 per set
Matching dark grey proofed nylon, treated with
anti-static inhibitor, MONITOR cover piped in GREEN
for 464, in BLUE for 664 and RED for 6128.
Popular Printer Covers to match above
AMSTRAD DMP2000 BROTHER M1009 CANON
PW1080A, EPSON FX80, RX80, LXSO, MANNESMAN
MT80, SHINWA CPA80, TAXAN PSIO ALL £4.50
Prices inc. postage m UK, overseas customers please
add Europe 50p. others C2.00 [air-mail), please state
model and colour or monochrome.
BBD COMPUTER DUST COVERS
39 Manse Avenue, Wrightingtan WNE 9RP
Telephone: 0257 42296
Amstrad User April 86
Page 83
This means
YOU!
i m a gine a prograin li&t ing. A I isti ng for a n
amazing aciion game, about 31; or 4k long.
Mostly it is (Written in Basic but it might
have a few rnachine coda routines to do
some of ttie things that need speed. It
works or the 464 jwith or withoul disc
drive664 and 61^3. It might run {using
Mallard Basic) on the PCW8Z56- Did I hear
you say you have one right here in your
pocket? i did? Hand it over. We wart to
print it!
Ves. that’s right, we want lots of shortish
programs for our readers to type in. They
don't have to be games - we just have a
preference for them. They can be anything
that we find irlerssting. The things we
don't find interesting ere biorythin
programs, pools predictors, sirrtple
databases, or anything to do with quacHratic
equations — unless they are written in one
line, collotaped to half a million quid or
draw a pretty picture on the screen.
There ere a few golden rules for submitting
programs. Remember that you are writing a
program for publication. Make your
program easy to debug. Don't include
unlistable characters in the program.
Document start addresses and length of
code when using machine code. Send the
program on tape or cassette and include a
SAE if you want it back. If you think the
program does something paiticularly clever,
write an explanation of the routine thai
does It. Don't include commands that work
only on one particular machine.
Now you know what to do, gel cracking!
Send off your program today to;
Lie T/f]g
Amstr-ad Compu/er User
T69 K/pgs Road
Bf^piwood CMJ4 4£f
SHEKHANA COMPUTER SERVICES
EIi1h ...,....
RIIP
14.85
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Price
12J5
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9.95
7.50
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0.85
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8.86
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9.35
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9.85
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19.86
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8.85
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9.85
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8.85
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2438
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9.95
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19J85
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15.95
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5 95
5.95
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3.85
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9.95
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3-85
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13.85
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9.85
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12.85
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.. 19.8S
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9.95
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4.as
Fqe Mdii uidir PiKai# jend Cheuu*^ rTI T«
SCS {DEPT AMUS), P.0, BOlt 394 LONDON MIS &JL.
fPiP INCLUDED IN UK). EUROPE ADD El 00 PER TAPE^
■LSEWHEHE AT COST,
01'8{K)i 315&, S-A,E. FOR LIST
II vuM pVduld like 1Q pick up vuu> -dif^um uihAiit pleaie vuifi uupv vi ihii id CcitwikmIti.
UpeI b. 771 Tntifnhun C^iLifl. Rpid. LtnAjK W1 fMir Ciwdtt Si. Tiibl Sldtipnl-
& dttrl i tjom tOimfifni
Accfsi and Vixa Card Hdi Li«R plHH ring 01 £31 'IC27
Cl rill Cjid Qideii deipjicbed sairrr dj.’p lubieci iu avdiliibililY
^ FledSP iiFip I:d [gnhini avaiUtililY
LANGUAGE TOOLS FOR CP/M
Turbo Pa&cal 3.0 (Inc. editor & OVERLAVSIl ..... G9,9C
Turbo Tool box T.2 (ISAM database tools) .....54,-96
Turbo-Amstrad Interface tTurbo to Firrnwarg intsHao# for
wirMfows.Turtlagraphics.sound,etci ...... 14.95^
TurboTutor............ 35.95
Pro-Rascal USD standard Compiler) ....... 95.95*
DflPescal/MT+. ......49.96*
DftCe ASIC Compiler . 49.95*
Tool works C/SO (C compiler...£59.95*
Meth PecUFto&iS and lont^sfcir Qi'BO) .... £48.95*
Tool works Lisp/M (Usp interprstar) ________ £99.95*
Micro-Prolog Llntarprater & tutorial) . £79.95*
Modula-2 Compiler............. Ertquire
APPLICATIOIMS SOFTWARE FOR
CPC612S & PCW825G
AT LASTS vsrsstH& sndfriendiy database program that
doesn't cost an arm and a !ag and doa&n\ regutrO you to
learn s new language
Varied Field Typea/'M-ario-driven/Form & Haport DaSigOer/FieldTotal^'Multipte
Kevs/Up to 10 files (cross'rttfarerfcclngli
When you're fed up atruggling with inadaquete toxHe, you med
AT LAST
At LBST.„......... 49.95*
Dft Qrgpb ........... 49.95*
DR Draw..,........ 49.95*
SuperCalc2 ............49.95*
Sbge Popular Accounts....... 99.95*
SagePayroH ......... 89.99*
Sage Combo Pack iAooounls & Payrollf ............ 149.99*
Sage Chit-Chat E-Mail 4Elactronic mail) ...... £89.99*
Sage Chit-Chat View Data (Prestal ato) .......£89.99*
Sage ChiE-Chat Combo (E-Mail &. View Data) ....£99.99*
SageDaEabasa ......£89-99*
lari Kay Crash Course (Typing tutor)...£24.95*
lari Key Two TinggriiTouch typing com^ersion coutse) —.£24.95*
Brginatorm jidess Processor) .....49.99*
Touch 'n' go (keyboard trainer) ..........24,99*
CsrdboK (Electronic: tSnd index) ,....,....99.99*
Smart Key (Keyboard anhancar)....49.99*
Scratchpad Ispreadsheet) + Smart Key.....69.99*
Any olher CP/M program, disc transfer*, compucers,
printers, exparwipn, menu ala ..... S,A.E.
*CR/At Pias Otdv **jVof PCWS25S
CONSULTANCY ...... 1 S.DO/fiiHir e VAT
VAT snd P^P (Europe) included. Pleasa state modal whan ordering.
All payments in S-teding drawn on a UK account.
Caliars please ring firat.
RATIONAL SOLUTtOHS
9 R05EHILL ROAD LONDON SWia2NY
TEL; 01 8746244
PERSONAL COMPUTER
PRINTER
AMSTRAD
4S4, 664, 6128
(^uiet Thermal Operation
RS 232C {can be supplied)
80 column
8" X 30m paper roll supplied
12 months warranty
Famous manufacturer
No interface required for Amstrad
Connects direct to computer.
(DIXONS ADVERTISED
FfllCE IS C13S.99]
£89 (incIP&P&VAT)
(TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME)
STOP PRESS
Robert Edwards & Co (Ret acu)
236 North Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 2PW,
TbI: (0392) 94110 (4 Imes] THfwi; 94E24D I^WEASY G R>f; 1BQD7T1D
ACCESS/BARCLAYCARD VISA ACCEPTED
PageM
Amstrad U ser April 86
•Vour persono/ passport to the
world of communications with
rt'^eCTjrn Gold js fl fMTdifititJrA'oj' /^n'lish Ttffe^Ldfnrtlui
E
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What it offers the Amstrad user...
Electronic mail is much
cheaper than the post
Sending mailbox messages to other subscribers,
whcxse numbers are rapidly grcwlng, is the
cheapest form of communication possible. You
can send a message of any len^ to another
mailbox for less than the cost of a first-class
stamp, And it doesn’t cost a penny more to send
the same message to 500 different mailboKes!
Even a message sent to a mailbow on the other
side of the world only costs 30p.
The biggest bulletin
board of them all
The number of bulletin boards is growing rapidly.
The only snag is that the vast majority arc
single-user boards - which means lots of other
people are also trying to make contact and all
too often alt you get is the engaged tone. But
with the MteroLink bulletin board there i$ no
limit to the number of people using it at the
same time. And no limit to the number of
categories that can be displayed on the board.
Give your micro
mainframe power
With MicroLlnk your micro becomes a terminal
linked directly to the Telecom Gold mainframe
computer, and able to tap its tremendous power
and versatility. Right avKiy you'll be able to use
giant number-crunchintg programs that can only
run on a mainframe.
The mailbox that
is always open
MicroLlnklsln operation 24 hours a day, every
day. Tlwit means you can access your mailbox
whenever you want, and from wherever you are
, . , home^ office, airport - even a hotel bedroom
or golf club! No-one needs to know where you
are when you send your message.
We’re only a local
phone call away
The majority of MicioUnk subscrfberscan
connect to our mainframe computer In London
by making a local phone call. This Is possible
b^use they use British Telecom's PSS ^^em,
which has access points all over Biitain. A Icwial
phone call is all you need, too, for direct access
via MicroLink to all the other countries
belonging to the international Dialcom system.
Telemessages * at
a third off
The modem equivalent ofthe telegram is the
telemessage. Send tt before 10pm and deliver^ is
guaranteed by first post the following day (except
Sunday). The service was intended for people
phoning thdr messafge to the operator, which
costs £3.50 for 50 words. But you can now use
it via MicroUnk, for only £125 for up to 350
wordsf For an extra 65p your message can be
delivered in an attra'Ctive greetings card.
Go teleshopping on
your micro
With McroLlnkyou can study the British Rail
timetable - and then buy your ticket In advance.
You can book theatre tickets. And even order a
bouquet of ficwers. ft’s all part of the tde-
shopping revolution t
Send and receive
telex messages
With MteroDnk you can turn your micro Into a
telex machinet and can send and receive telex
messages of any length. You wilt be aide to
communicate directly to 96,000 telex subscribers
in the UK, 1) million worldwide - and even with
ships at sea via the telex satellite network.
Business people can now serkd and receive
telexes after office hours, from home or when
travelling.
What does it
all cost?
Considering all the services you have on tap,
MicroLink Is remarkably inexpensive^ You pay a
once-only registration fee of £5, and then a
standing charge of Just £3 a month. On-hrta
costs are 3-5p a minute {between 7pm and Sam)
or lip a minute during office hours. There Is an
additional 2.Sp a minute PSS charge If you are
caOlng from outside the 01- London call area,
Charges for telex, telem^ages and storage of
files are given on the neid page.
!
i
How much it costs to use MicroLink
Initial reglfitfation £5.
Standing charge: £3 per calendar month or
part.
Connect charge: 3.5p per minute or part -
cheap rate; lip per minute or part - standard
rate.
AppJfcabJe (fyinpfiOFi citj to-rtfiectlon to SeiTTipe.
MjnimiiFiT charge; 2 infnuto
Qieap rate is from 7pm fo^am. Mont/ji) to frrdav', oif
dav ^aturdai^ and Si/ndai; and puHto ihoirday^.:
Standard rate fs from $ftm to 7pm, Monday to Frfdov,
fijcclixdrn^ putJic ho/jdoys.
Filing charge: 20p per unJt of 2^048
characters per month,
App/lcab/e for storage of rn/omiafiqrt, os tei^
s/fort codes and jmaiJjS/es. ITie numt>ero/ijn'ri 5 used is
on auera^ff og/cu/ated by re/ieFiencie to a doi^ samp/e.
Information Databases^ Various charges.
Ariy cJiarges tfjaf may be app^Jeabfe are sfwLtin to you
before you obtarn access to database.
MictoLink PSS service: 2.5p per minute or
part [300 baud); 3p per minute or part
{1200/75 baud).
OniV'opp/Jesto users oulsrdelbeOFlondon ca^tarea.
Telex registration; £ 10.
Outgoing telex; 5,5p per 100 characters
(UK); lip per 100 (Europe); ISp per 100 (H
Amehca); £1,25 per400 (Rest of world); £2,75
per 400 {Ships at sea).
Deferred messages sent on fihe n^ht seruice ore
Subbed to a fC) per cent difrogitC,
incoming telex: 50p for each oorrect];/
addressed telex delivered to your mailbox.
Obtaining a mailbox reference from the sender
incurs a further charge of 50p,
ft is nsoi possibfe to d-etri?er a telex iwitfroui a maftbew
re/erence. // a tefex is recejued withaut a marfbew
re/erence fbe sender wfli be advised of non-defriwv
ond asfted to proofde a moJ/box oddness,
foch user uafjdatod for tefex and using the /odfity tolJf
Incur a charge of 6 storage units a monfb. further
storoge charges couJd be incumad depending cm the
amount of telex storage and the use rrrcide of short
code and rnessoge
Telemessages: £1,23 for up to 350 words.
Tefemessa^ ctin be sent ujfth ari rrfustraied^i'eehngs
card for 65p extra.
Radiopaging: No charge.
// von baoe a BT Badiopoger you can be pog^
□utomadcoffv LwhenetJer □ messaige is urarfing in your
ma/fbox.
International Mall; For the first 2,043
characters - 20p to Germany and Denmark;
30p to USA Australia, Canada, Singapore,
Hong Kong and Israel. For addiliortal 1,024
characters - lOp; 15p.
These charges relate to the teansmiHton of
in/omralion by the Dia/com senifce to other CSafcom
senjiccs outside the UK and (be Isle of Man. Muftrpte
copies to addresses on (he sanre system hosi irtcuroftV
one transmission charge.
Billing and Paymentt All changes quoted are
exclusive of VAT. Currently all bills are rendered
monthly.
Software over
the telephone
MicroLink is setting up a central store of
software programs which you’ll be able to
download directly into your micro. The range wjll
include games, utilities, educational and business
programs, and will cover all the most popular
makes of micros.
Talk to the world
- by satellite
MicroLink is part of the Iniernattonal Dialcom
network. In the USA, Australia and a growing
number of other countries there are many
thousands of users with electronic mailboxes fust
like yours. You can contact them just as easily as
you do users in Britain - the only difference is
that the messages from your ke^oard go
speeding: around the world via satellite.
What you need to
access MicroLink
You must have three things in order to use
MicroLink: a computer (it can be any make of
micro, hand-held device or even an electronic
typeurriter provided it has communications
facilities), a modem (it can be a simple Pnestel
type using 1200/75 baud, or a more
sophisticated one operating at 300/300 or
1200/1200 baud), and appropriate
communications software.
n
IkfoLin
In association with
iK
1
TELECOM GOLD
Application Form
]/We hereby apply to jrolTi MicfoUnk
□ ] endose my cheque for £5 payable to Database
PubJkatlons as registration fee to MicroLink.
{^) □ I also wish to use Tdex. I authorise you to charge an
additional £10 to niy iniaal bill for t.®}ktatlon.
□ ] oonfirtn that E am over IB years of age.
^ 1 confiira that) accept the terms and conditions for the
^ lime being In foica, a copy of which are available cm
request.
Signature
Date___
-----
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:
Mallbax assigned -
Start date_
Password__
SEND TO: *
MicroLink
Database Publicatloi>«
Europa House
68 Chester Road
Haiel Grove
Stockport SK7 5NY.
* Telecom Gold is a frodemarb of British re.tecommunications pJc.
Postcode I I [
Dayltme teleplwne
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bil6rg rhereof will be handled by Telecom Gold as agents for Daisbaw Publltcallons Ltd.
Date of first payment to be on 15th of month following commencement
Please complete balling authorisation form A B or C below:
A. DireciL Debiting Mandate fEnier fuU postal address of Bank Branch!
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~n
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□zm
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'
Address 1
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ZIZ
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"H"'
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TZ, .HZZZ
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k'We authorise you until lunlver notice in writing to charge to my/our account with you on or immediately
after 15th day of each month unspecified amounts which may be debited thereto at the iniiance of British
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TREAT YOUR COMPUTER TO HiGH QUALiTY,
WEST GERMA/ifY CABLES AND ACCESSORIES.
' THE ST/CK **JO YSrtCK
4S4}S€4(S12a .
.. £72.89
PRINTER CABLE f2Ml
4B4mS4fB12a
. £t3.96
EXT, MONITOR CABLES (2M}
464 ....
........ £S.OS
EXT. MONITOR CABLES (2MI
664/6f28 ..
........ £6.75
STEREO CABLE 2 x PHONO {2Mf
464/664/6723 .....
........ £4,15
STEREO CABLE S-P/N DIN f2M}
464/664/6723.....
. £4,15
JOYSTICK EXT. CABLE 9-PtN D TYPE {2MI ..
.. £3.25
JQ YSTICK ADA PJOR
464/664/6723 .
........ £4.5S
DUST COVERS
KEYBOARD
464 ..
. £5.85
MONITOR GREEN
464/664/6723 .
........ £3,85
MONITOR COLOUR
464/664/6723 .
........ £3,85
DISC DRIVE DOt-i, FO-I
464/664/6728,.,..
£4.85
PRINTER NLQAOI
__
.. £5.85
KEYBOARD
664 .
. £7,35
KEYBOARD
6723.. ..
.£7.35
SUPERB ANTI-GLARE SCREENS COLOUR/
MONO, 12" + 14" FROM £18.35
ASK YOUR LOCAL DEALER OR SEND DiRECT.
PLEASE ADD EhOO FOR P + P CHEQUES AND P.O.s TO:
LIGHTWAVE LEISURE LTD
DEPT AU4. P,0. BOX 23
WALLASEY, MERSEYSIDE L44 1EW
051-639 5050
YORKSHIRE’S LEADING
AMSTRAD SPECIALIST
COMPUTERS PCW B2;56 Wbfd PrcKe-ssing Paciiage tncl.
computer, clisc ar>cE pririt^. .... ....L458,B5
2ndlDjsc Drive.
Pe^r^llel/Seriel Inlerface.... r £6795
CPC 6128 wilh 12BK memory, 3” drive and colour monitor.. LISSjOO
With green screen monitor ...... L2R9 jQ0
CPC 464 vrilh S4K memory^ builUin cassette and colour
monitor. t299.aa
With green screen monitor.... .£199 jGiO
2nd Disc Drive (6126/664f464). E99.95
1st Disc Drive ^464) ......£159.95
PRINTERS Epson LXeo, Amsirad DP 2300.Samteco DXB6,
Gitizen 120D, Juki 6000. Juki 6100, NEC etc,
ACCESSORIES -- speech Symhesis, Light Pens, R3232,
TV Modulators, A^rfX Mouse, Dust Covers, Leeds, Printer Ribbons,
Paper {ask lor details^.
SUPERPOWER New RomCardf6128/664^64).£34.95
Assembler, Disassemblerp Monitor (pise or Roms) .£29,95
Oise Users Utilities, ProgrenTmer’sToolboitS Basic Entensions,
Mailing Ust (Disc or Rom)each £19.95
(please stale computer model),
SOFTWARE — Sagesoft, Oeita Database, SupencalCi^
AmsofI Business Control. Large selection of Games
SHOWnOOM/MAIL ORDER
MICRO POWER LTD.,
Northwood House, Nortti Street ^
Leeds LS7 2AA.
TeL D532 456600/434006 1 nj
ACCESS/VISA Welcome. Postageft^arriaga
— small items 95p/total order;
Compulers/printers etc. £&00 per item in UK.
Eire/Channel Islands/Export al cost.
DISCOUNT SOFTWARE
CHECK OUT THESE PRICES
GAMES
Elite
n.Sh
Cwnmande
7.BQ
Spirfin-^Q
T.BD
Skvioa
T.5D
Hypai-i^rla
6.S6
rieArKidng Pu
0.75
Kigh1sh3<>e
fSO
Strangelmp
e.S5
Theatre Eurttpe
7J5
Banle dF BiHiin
775
U>nj the Ri[ 1 l|^
i^H'chdev
7 2&
BdtiFe el the PlinBtE
7.15
Stirien
775
^njctise
7.95
Amarican FoDthbll
T.95
Hickar
7.75
Match Point
B.75
Sine Da'fM SneokBr
0.25
Dalev n Superlest
0.95
Duu DuBSt
4.25
Anbiaai hiighu
4.25
Wir Lprfl
4.25
Missigo ligcfi AndiOfnadB
3.35
H*jms oFXim
3.35
Chopper Squid
3.95
WiF5m« PitHan
3.5D
ChimeiB
5.50
NnlirrBquaoip^
1.95
Formular l SifAulHoi
1.95
auSINESS & TUTOniAl
Guide to Bssic t t&.9&
C!.^dte Balk- Sp^E t (9.9&
CHti»Rrinw4n tS.BQ
ConciEtFinnMkaPI' B.7E
MaatriTilB 2D.9B
Ma;tidlil6 Ekt IMPXf B.TB
Mastticabc
Ma$[E[£BkExn.MCX) 3.TS
Ta3won£4E.4 15.95
TAjcapy 9.95
Tnpiiilt 9.95
'1^ CampilBr 39.99
BlfMpai: Asvaiss 29'95
Fbs^iI I.Hi3Drtf 25.95
fontE4 7.! 5
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frijnan TypinilulOH 7.S5
HARDWARE
MP2 hiodu^t^r 27.50
Cl1 CuEiHB L*iid 3.BQ
P11 flirtlK iBBd T.9B
DMP2000 Ribbon 5.15
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JirZ JVjrlliUi 9.BE
Si[>)l«Oi[$[il)Brll cAH'l 4.2B
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Dti. T»fti(£S Lrtk Pen - RW 5S.15
DK Twict «i.:p«niiM 45.95
DISC BASED
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9.96
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1D.96
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11.25
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10.96
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10.95
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13.75
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31.95
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17.50
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35.55
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44.95
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PmyTE.>!T Iwnrd prnceianr)
17.75
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5.99
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AIL PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE, PACKING iVAT IN THE DK
OVERSEAS ORDERS WELCOME - PLEASE WRITE FOR SXPtlflT PRICES
WRITE FOR A FREE PRICE LIST - GET ON OUR MAILFNG JST
PLEASE SEHD CHEOUESi'PDs TO:
M.i.C. SUPPLIES,
^Scoja'p Lorulon Road, HItchIn, Herts SG4 SEN.
T«l: 104621 32697 tor enqnHn/Onhn - ZAhr ANSWERPHDNE
GREATEST AMSTRAD SALE EVER
Software list includes
Super Pipeline ..
Alien Break In ............
Punchy
Haunted Hedges .
JWlanic Miner ........
Mr Wongs
Loopy Laundry
Astro Attack_
Classic Adventure
Codename Mat
Laserwarp ..
Splat ....
3D Invaders .
Hunter Killer..
Snooker..
ChuckieEgg.
Master Chess .....
Roland Goes Digging .. 2.95
Electro Freddie 2.95
Star Commando 2.95
Spannerman .. 2.95
American Football...... 4.95
Stockmarket . 3.95
Amsgolf....._ 2.95
Space Hawks .. 2.95
Biagger . 3.45
Message
from Andromeda .... 3.45
Jet Boot Jack ............ 2.95
Chopper Squad. 3.45
Hunchback . 3.45
Codename Mat II . 3.95
HarrierAttac ............. 3.95
Mutant Monty 3.49
View to Kill.. 3.95
Forest at Worlds End 3.45
HeroesofKarn.. 3.45
Jewels of Babylon .. 3.45
Fgntastic Voyage 3.45
Tripods... 4,95
AIEen .. 4.95
Gremlins ... 4.95
Bounty Bob .. 5.50
Fu Kung in Las Vegas .. 4.95
Alex Higgins
World Pool .. 4.95
Alex Higgins
Snooker.... 4,95
Beach Head . 4.95
Centre Court... 5.50
Steve Davis Snooker .. 6.95
Home Budget 9.95
Raid . S.50
Ship of Doom 4.95
Espionage Island .. 4.95
Inca Curse ..4.95
Planet of Death.. 4,95
3" Discs ..4,50 each
Quick Shot 11 Joysticks 7.95
5 pin din leads to 3 Jack plug
leads for Amstrad
Cubit . 2.95
6123
3.95
PlusfiiKrBfige of dfsc & css^ette based ^oftw^rA avaifabiv.
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Wbon ordering pleasa state, fTfacbine, software ordered and prlee.
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Gems of Stradus.. 2.95
2.95 Crazy Golf... 2,95
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24 hours
LOGIC SALES LTD.
Unit 6, Potorborough
Cambridgeshira PE1 ITN.
f
Amstrad User Apr 1 186
Page 87
INVOICE MANAGER
CPC 464/664/6128
* Auto or manual numbering.
* Up to 100 Customer product file.
* Easy to use - full menu driven.
* Calculates VAT - discount automatically.
* Compatible with stock controi program -
available late March.
* Includes label printer.
Disk £19.95 Cassette £16.95 (inc)
COX SOFTWARE, His Bungalow, School Road, Salford
PHors, Nr, Evssham, Warwickshire WR11 5XD
Tel: (D78B) 773022
ASTROLOGY
for beginners
Teach vouisatf astmlogy using ynur AfnsEiad
A Slartar Padt isomprising 9 simplB program tu cabjlote a hditifiCAiiei, an introdiictoty
booklet and 2 setf-teaching programs Ihow to intsrpiet tlw hgmscapBl
£11.50 cassette £15.50 disc
No previous knowlodge raqulred
Also many other programs for more axperienced astrologers
Please send the Astrology Starter Pack for my Amstrad
464/664/6126/0256,1 enclose a cheque/PO, U.K. for
£11,50/E1S.50 (inc p&p). Outside UK add 50p; or, I enclose a
large see for free catalogue.
Name..........
Address............
A5TR0CALC (Dept A) 67 Peascroft Road
. Homel Hempstead, Herts HP3 flER Tel: 0442 51S09
micpo-ftid
CASHBDDK Douhla En1iv bDDhknpiniji ...
MAILING 25D narnB£''addiissi4lfir label prjnling .
FAYHOIL luM s^stmi Will I. 2 S 4 w»ty & nMnlMv.
wnCractfll in andnt. Elf...
SPECIAL DFFBft 4Usl THREE prOfliami on pn* disc) .
Poclwl WordHsr fariwus CPi'M WflpdpfPHBSPr ......
Pocial Calcstir.....-
PntrtHt: DPA-iflOFluiNLtliQQffsFriniPrt^Trtfipc ...
CPA-flOtailridpa printh riblw .....
Epapn L!|-4b 1 Dfllttft NLa Fiijiip* & Iracipi .
IBICOLfft.l UlH^OnalillfFiieliDfl...
PripHiT Cibhujitibli r(rAin$(hnl te EtnflrMiicE ...
Dii« Drivi Ii2[4f with ppwwi su^plylpi CPCmachirws ....
Din: 3” DPiibies«Se4 ......
3*^ Double ww ......
ChhUh : CI £ bpatd Ir* 5'i. leaderlass,.......
Liititig Piptr Bof 2.00011"!(9-5" .....
Lpliali lpr Mailing. 1.0003 wauj 2.75" a 1.437S" ....
Pntf? irH;|pdE VAT. Add 5Qp Ida Ppitagp & Packipgu
.. tubs
.. tu.bs
.. €49.95
.ESS.DII
.Eioo.oa
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.. E1I9.95
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.sach £349
bpxPMO £1549
... IDIvr a.50
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micni-nid (AmBlrad),
I 25 Fore Siraol, Praia, Camborns, Ccrnwellp TR14 OJX
I or Tolaphone 0209-831274 wHh ACCESS or PRESTEL
2982020
Cheshire Micro Design
HOBBYFILE
catalogue your collections:- records, books, tapes, slides,
addresses etc. Search/sort/save etc.
EXGEN 1
expert system —symptom/fault diagnosis.
NUMBER SKILLS
2 to 11 year olds, Count , x and^
MUSIC PLAYER
Tape £4,95, Disc £8,95 each,free leaflet.
CPC464, 664 and 6128
CMD, 66 CLOSE LANE, ALSAQER,
STOKE-ON-TRENT
PCW 8256
£399
BRANDED
DISCS
10 Pack 3" = £38
5 Pack 3" = £20
+ VAT
(Inc. VAT P&P)
CICA(IMPEX) LIMITED
287 Caledonian Road, London N1 1EG.
01-7004004
FORECASTING
Full pfafsawonAl quality wftwan
with carafuHv Mrlttm manual of 66 big pugu*^ mora a wuraa l«i
tha Bubjactl
WHAT DO YOU N £ 6 O TO PRE DICT: Seles, finance, wwkloa<l. demand,
pricea, ccmpetition.?
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO ANALYSE: Relationship betvveen spcial data
end tranpijort demenij'. I>eiwaen tim-e end varickue dimensions?
Each decisjon yon make means a number of assumptions about Itie future,
lake advantage of your Amstrad's power to anaNa and predict using:
PDlynamial ragraaiion,Tr«nd and ssaBanal variation!, Stnpwiu multipla
regrasiicn analyaia, TranaTcrmatkins, EitponantMl irrHiatfiing, Adaptiv*
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These pmgrafTJS, ffeveioped on raai problems over e year's teaching and
cdrrsyliansr wja ths powtrfiff Arnffi-stf gristphtcs to fft sunres and anafyse
patterns as part of a decision process.
PriGes for 4&4, 664, 6126 & 82&6 —
CaHBtia £16,98 PIfC £23.89 both inc. P5 lP.
J.P.C. SOFTWARE
Hatharlfty Fartnh'OuaQ, Mill Hoad, Little Molton^
Norwich NRS' 3NZ.
" 1
PHE-SCHOOU PRIMARY, JUNIOR
Education
By a Taacher. Testad by Pupila
Approved by Poroftts end Schoais
For Home use on oli CPC models
Each set contains SEVEN Programs
£5,00 Per Set
Choice of more than FIFTY programs,
SAE for Lists to:
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"Most deiinilely thit syalem removes mo^t ol the tliore from H
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Only £29.98 Including VAT St Cinriage (£34.35 on Disc). I
CORNiX SOFTWARE LTD.
IB KneeswoFin Slreet. I4erl3. SG8 BAA. Tel; ttoyriQ'n (QTaS) B5E3B5
Page 88
Amstrad User April 86
This first Amstfad User Awards prcived very popular, the results
seem to reflect the sales of programs as muchi as their popularity,
Sorcerv aid Sorcery Plus walked away with the top priies, it was
voted program of the year, game of the yesr. arcade strategy game of
the year, best graphics, ard original program. Virgin took the prize for
Software House of the Year. Original program is probably not
deserved since it is a conversion, but as most Amstrad programs are
conversions of one kind or anothor to disallow it would have left very
few options
Mini Office seemed to be the equivalent business program,
showing that a lot of Arnolds are being used for semi-serious
purposes.
Tbs worst program of the year shows how right Amsoft are to
concentrate on the Amsoft Gold range, "30 invaders" is used as an
expletive in the magazine office.
Book of the Year was biased by having an Amazing Amstrad
Omnibus competition in the same Issue. It is good, but not so good
that it should get more than twice as many votes as the nearest
rival. The fourth place for the firmware manual was well deserved, it
is good to see Soft 158 being noticed even if it was not first put on
sale in 1885.
One of the nicest surprises was the third place for Daiand or Ole.
This has been one of the Editor's favourite games for a long time but
no one else seems to have noticed it.
prvgrMn of tho 1f*or
t Satwry/SoTCBtiii Plus
2, Way at Tl's Hst
3 , Knight Lore
4, Starion
Ginn of thi Yiar
I Sorciiy/SorcflrY Pluj
2. Way of the E*pJodmg Fiat
J- Dfil'oy Tfmmpsoos Dst&thfon
4 - Hypar Sports
-*■ Aim B. 0„„
Graphics of thi Yiar
1. Sofwry
2. Kniflht Lore
=3, Siarion, Pyjiiiiiaramo.
Way dI thf iiipliDdiiig fist
Bunnan Praaram ol tha Voai |
--- -—--
1 Mini OhicE
Book irf thi Yaw
Orioftiinl Pronram nf Iho Yiar
1. Amazing Amstrad Omnibus
]. Sorcery
=2. Amstrad Computino
2. DfrEiltilon
1 4 Now Word
3. Th* Workijig Amstrad
2. Highway E.nr;DLinl«r
a. PrnlBlrt
4. Firmware Speerfications Manual;
=4. Kfiiftht Lort. Psythadelia. Hacker
Amstrad User April 86
Page 89
The Least
Significant Bit
ril start off by saying that this hasn't been much of a
month for happenings, No magazines bought and sold,
no new Amstrad computers launched, no significant
events at alL (What do you mean? Jane Nolan got her
hair cut - Ed.)
Sinclair “launched'' (ha!) the Spectrum 128 for £40
more than they will be charging as soon as the Spectrum
Plus stocks have subsided. Will there be a clamour from
Spectrum Plus Owners for upgrades {remember the
CPC664? Amstrad do ...)?
Acorn discovered that once you are locked into the
British educational “system” you have become
institutionalised and can get away with almost
anything.
The one event
Amstrad made £27 million on their first half year
trading, representing net margins of 21 per cent. This is
almost unheard of in any business^ let alone one as
volatile as the computer marketplace. Anyone in the
Amstrad orbit should be delighted, since although your
first reaction may be that Amstrad is overcharging (yet
everyone is amazed how cheap the PCW 8256 is) it
means that Amstrad is here to stay. Stability in this
business is a very valuable commodity for users.
These results are very significant. They show just how
much more vicious the pricing could get if someone was
foolish enough to take them on - and they also show that
Amstrad has got plenty of reserves to take product
development further forward if they so choose. And
judging by the meanness of the dividend, they certainly
intend to do something with the money!
In a spin
Games on disc are a serious issue to the CPC6128 owner,
yet why are so few available? The cost to publishers to
invest in stocking the outlets with discs is horrific, hence
Amstrad and their clout have cornered the market for
the time being.
It's about time some alternative approach to
distributing games on disc made them more readily
accessible to disc system owners. This might also stem
the publishers' concern about the piracy arising from
transferring from cassette to disc.
It is a lot easier to copy protect an original disc than a
cassette (tape to tape duplication is always possible -
that's how the things are made in the first place).
The Queen’s English
The primary dictionary with the spell checker provided
with New Word's companion Spell Plus program has
recently been Anglicised (Anglicized?). You will also
find that words like Amstrad are present, however, it’s a
big job to do and the current releases could still use a
little weeding, so NewStar are offering a refund of the
purchase price of £69 to the user sending in the most
Americanisms still present in the latest release.
Pin the tail on the donkey!
No prizes for guessing what everyone is suggesting
Amstrad will launch next. The only uncertainty
concerns the fmal configuration and the final price.
Well, we'll let you into a little secret, it has a 500
mbyte sequential filing optical disc, tape backup and
removable hard disc unit. Honestly, (And a built-in
teasmade -Ed.)
ACU
ACU ADVERTISERS’
Advantage ...........—... B5
Ameoft ....... 36
Amstrad . 28,74/76
Arc ......... Afl
Amor..........24/12&
AshfitNewman .. 71
Aatrocale ........ 88
BBD Dual Covers.......83
CampbtLl Software Design.. 45
CascadeGame^^... 77
Cheshire Micro Design ..88
<ihiltern Coniputera Limited.. 12
CIO A [Impex) Ltd .. 88
CirkitDistribution .. 66
C!k)l]een Limited 42
Cbmix Software .. 83/88
Cox Software ...... i....... .88
CP Software .. 4
Dataatar . 35
Davia Rubin......—........72
Digital Integration .. TBC
Digital Research .. 13/16
DKTronira .. OEC
EG Graphics .. 59
Evesham Micro ..71
Garwood .. 46
Global Software... 75
Gra/Sales. 32
Hi-Soft .. 53
biterbck Serviqea .. 66
John Wylio & Song.....40/41
jPC........83
KDS ........58
KumaCoraputeis.. 23
Lerm ........ 65
Lightwave Leisure...... 87
^Run........ 44
Logic... 77
Micro Power .. 67/87
Micro-Aid... ■9^
Mikro-Geji... ......63
MJC Supplies. 87
Northern Computers .. 85
O.J. Software......- 82
Opus ........... 66
Panda Elaetronica . 82
Pride Utilities .. 60
Probe Software ....-.IFC
Prospero .. 16
Rational Solutions.......... 84
I?obef t Edwards & Co .......84
Romantic Robot .. 77
RSDConnectiona .. 62
Saxon Computing.. 60
School Software .. 83
Selec Software .. 62
Shekhana .. &4
Siren Software... 59
SJB Discs......
Soft Insight... 84
INDEX
Soft Machine ....
Speetradraw.. .......
Squirrels Byte.........
TasTTinn Snftwnre ...
.82
.58
. 58
.10/11
Thamea Link .........
'rTio Studio ...
.. m
...48
I7matic Systemi.......
Tranaform .. ..............
......20
.21
BUSINESS SECTION
Ametrad ....
.(VTIOTI
Bos....
. fXXVH}
Camaoft...
,,j .....
...tXXXI)
CawtjrtTi..
.[XV) (XXUI)
Celcotn ...
...(XXXII)
Compact.....-.
... (xxvn)
Connect ....
. (xx\Tn)
Data Soft..
..-. (xm
DKTroniCii...........
. (xvi/xvm
.. [XX\TD
Matyclean ..
.. (xvni)
Micro-Way
.{xxxiD
Newstar...
Northern Comp ....
.. -. (ni
Pace....
.. c™
Queat ....
..(XXIV/XXV)
Rad Systems.........
.. (XXXU)
Sage^ft...............
...(XI)
Software Citv..
....(XXX)
SpMdyacft.
....CXXI)
Wrexham ....
..(XXVIII)
Page 90
Amstrad User April 80
Vie SUPREME SIMUUTfON .
it ieaves th& rest at the runway threshotcif_
SPECTRUM VERSION VOTED
“Simafation of the year-1984''
by CRASH MICRO READERS^
I DIGITAL
INTEGRATION
Che<^Li«& payable to Digital Integration Llr^
I enclose a cheque^P.O. for-
Name_
Address_
r Figfilor Pilot
I F^hier Pilot Disk
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k Fighter Pitol
[ SPeCTRUW
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( COMMODORE64
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Watchmoor Trade Cenire,
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Sir' GU15 3AJ
Ekpiry date_ __(oa7^ea*w9
Please send lo OigilaJ Inlegralioo,
Waicfimoor Trade Cetrtre^ Walchmoor Road. Camberley, Sorrey GU15 3AJ,
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